Torn
by KawaiiChica
Summary: Troubles arise in the Higurashi household. When Kagome starts coming back to the Sengoku Jidai, tired and depressed, how will Inuyasha & Co. be able to help? Will she even share her problems with them? IK - SM pairings
1. Beginning

Title: Torn  
  
Author: KawaiiChica  
  
E-mail: KawaiiChica@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG for mild violence and swearing.  
  
Disclaimer: Ok I'll admit it, Inuyasha and Co. don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for the sake of this fanfic. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and other people who have money and legal terms saying they're theirs.  
  
*sigh*  
  
Its so depressing to admit Inuyasha's not mine *hugs plushie*   
  
* * Sounds  
  
" " Speaking  
  
[ ] Thoughts  
  
*** Flashbacks  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
*Twitch*  
  
Inuyasha sighed, relieved that she'd finally returned. Kagome had been gone for a full week this time, mentioning something about some kind of 'finals' although what those were he'd never know. They'd argued and yelled and he'd ended up being 'sat' quite a few times before she escaped to her world, but finally she was back.   
  
He was about to jump out of the tree he'd been sitting in when the sound of a small sob reached his ears. He frowned, hearing Kagome take a deep breath before throwing her backpack on and climbing up the well. She appeared at the top and shifted so the bag would fall next to the well. Climbing over the edge, she sighed and sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest and laying her head down on them, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs.  
  
[What could be her problem?] Inuyasha dropped to the ground and walked over, watching quietly for a few minutes before his patience ran out. "Took you long enough!"   
  
To his surprise, Kagome nodded and gave a heavy sigh, wiping her eyes carefully before standing and picking up her bag. "Yeah, I guess I did take longer than usual."   
  
Her softly spoken words made him stop and frown again, noticing the deep sadness in her voice. She kept her head down, staring at the ground before her as she walked over and towards the village.   
  
"Kagome?" Inuyasha stopped her, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Its nothing," she shook her head, stepping back as he raised his other hand to lift her chin up.   
  
"Don't," Inuyasha warned her when she tried to struggle. He heard her gulp before she finally raised her head, allowing her face to be seen fully. The glistening in her eyes was no surprise, he knew she'd been crying, he'd smelled her tears when she came back through the well. What shocked him was the redness of her right cheek; it looked as if someone had slapped her. Hard.  
  
Kagome saw his eyes focus on her aching cheek and turned her face away again. "Don't ask ok?"  
  
"What do you mean don't ask? How can't I?" Inuyasha growled, fury pounding through him at the thought of someone hitting Kagome. "Who the hell did this?"  
  
"It doesn't matter," Kagome tried to pull away and felt her chin start to tremble when he didn't release her. "Please don't make me explain, just let me go."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head, "Not until I get a decent answer. Who the hell did that?"  
  
"What do you care?" Kagome snapped, yanking her arm away from him suddenly. "It doesn't matter who did it and I'm NOT going to talk about it with you or anybody, understand?!"  
  
Never being one to accept being yelled at, Inuyasha glared, "Like HELL you won't! You're going to tell me right now what happened or else!"   
  
"Or else?" Kagome's eye twitched, her hands fisted shut at her sides, shaking in anger.   
  
"OR ELSE?!"   
  
Her voice raised that time and Inuyasha gulped, realizing he'd probably gone too far that time. "Um Kagome, I meant..."  
  
"SIIIIIT!"  
  
Kagome watched him fall to the ground and huffed, stepping over his back and heading towards the village. Inuyasha didn't even bother cursing at her as he lay face down in the dirt. Kagome had a problem she wasn't sharing with him and it was going to drag him crazy if he didn't find out.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Kagomeee!"   
  
A cheerful little kitsune jumped into her arms. Kagome couldn't help but smile, soothed by his sweet cheerfulness at her arrival. [Unlike at home...] She shook her head slightly to make herself snap out of her thoughts and re-join the people talking to her.  
  
"Gomen nasai for worrying all of you, I just needed to stay home for a few extra days," she smiled and dropped her heavy bag to the floor. "I brought supplies."  
  
"And did you..." Shippo was cut off by a squeal when a chocolate bar was thrown into his lap. "You remembered!"  
  
"How could I forget?" Kagome smiled and turned to her friends, who were watching her carefully. "Anything the matter?"  
  
"Ano... if I may ask, being somewhat familiar with the type of redness that is on your cheek, who dared to slap you Kagome-sama? It was not that idiot of a hanyou was it?" Miroku watched her with obvious concern in his eyes.  
  
Kagome shook her head sadly, turning away to look through her bag again. "No, Inuyasha didn't slap me."  
  
"WHAT?! I wouldn't slap her!" Inuyasha growled from the doorway, shooting murderous glances at the monk.  
  
"No need to shout Inuyasha, he was just concerned," Sango glared at him and turned to help Kagome. "How was your stay Kagome-chan? Did you have a good time with your family?"   
  
"Hai, it was fine," Kagome shrugged, not wanting to elaborate.  
  
"What'd you do all that time?" Shippo asked, munching on the chocolate bar happily.  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes, "I took my finals ok? That's what I went to do isn't it?"  
  
"I guess so," Shippo stared at her wide-eyed, hurt at her annoyance with him.  
  
"I'm really tired so I think I'll go soak in the hot spring, I'll be back in a while." Kagome grabbed the towel and pj's she'd packed and headed out to the spring, obviously wanting to be left alone.   
  
Once there, she undressed and slipped into the warm water, her tense muscles relaxing after a harrowing week. Resting her head against a rock, she closed her eyes and thought back to all the things that had happened.   
  
*** Flashback ***  
  
"Don't forget to pick up the clothes from the dry-cleaners, drop off the video game and to pay that bill before picking up Souta." Her grandfather called after her.  
  
"But grandpa! I only have half an hour between when my school gets out and his!" Kagome turned with a surprised look. "Can't we do it afterwards?"  
  
"Souta has to be at practice twenty minutes after school ends," he reminded her, turning to go back into the shrine.  
  
"OOH!" Kagome turned and ran to school, not looking forward to all the errands she'd be running that day. It had been surprising to come back home and find her grandfather angry with her. Its not like she hadn't WANTED to come back for Souta's birthday. She'd explained about their fight with Naraku and shown them her bandages and everything.   
  
Souta had found the story cool and forgiven her, but her mother and grandfather had not been quite so pleased. They'd both been harder on her than ever. Her mother brought her grades to her attention, arguing that Kagome spent too much time in the Sengoku Jidai and was losing her chances of a good future. Her grandfather had scolded her for being so thoughtless as to leave her family so carelessly, without a thought to the fact that they might need her.   
  
Kagome had tried to make them understand she was needed in the past. Without her Inuyasha wouldn't be able to find the jewel shards and complete the Shikon no Tama. They were getting closer to the end she assured them, since Kikyo had taken the shards they'd collected and given them to Naraku, that the jewel was almost complete, and she was the one who had to purify it.  
  
They asked why she had to do it and not this Kikyo. When she explained they'd been even more adamant about her staying with them.   
  
"She DIED because of the jewel?! What are you thinking Kagome?! How could you go back to somewhere so dangerous?" her mother yelled.  
  
"I have to! If I don't go and help Naraku will win and ruin everything." Kagome grabbed her bag again. "Mom I promise we can go over things when I come back ok?"   
  
"You're not going anywhere, I am having your grandfather seal up that well tonight!" her mother stood in the doorway, blocking her way out.  
  
"You can't do that, I have to go!" Kagome paled, her mother looked absolutely serious. "You can't do this to me Mom! Please? It means so much to me to be there when they fight against Naraku!"  
  
"Its too dangerous Kagome! I won't have you dying out there with those wild friends of yours." Her mother crossed the room and stopped in front of her, holding out her hand. "Give me the backpack."  
  
"No," Kagome stepped back. "You can't keep me here mom! I need to go home to..."  
  
*SLAP* Kagome stumbled back, leaning against the wall to re-gain her balance as she touched her cheek and stared wide-eyed at her furious mother. "That is not your home."  
  
"Mom?" Souta stepped in, shocked that his mother had actually struck Kagome. The sound of his voice seemed to make her snap out of her anger and she turned away, not saying a word to any of them as she went upstairs.   
  
Looking at her brother and grandfather out of tear-filled eyes, Kagome opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the elder. "She's right you know, that is not your home, your home is here."  
  
His voice was uncharacteristically cold while he continued; "You seem to have forgotten young lady, that you are only a 16-year-old child. You don NOT have the power to decide what you do and where you go. If you live under this roof you must respect both your mother, and myself and running off to a place we do not approve of is not acceptable."   
  
"But grandpa," Kagome began.  
  
"That's enough," he turned to go upstairs. "Go to your room, I'm going to get the spells to seal the well."  
  
"You can't," Kagome stepped away from the wall and straightened, "Grandpa you can't keep me from going, if you do..."  
  
*SLAP*  
  
This time Kagome stumbled in the opposite direction, hitting her hip against the kitchen counter as she fell against it. "You WILL learn respect young lady. Now get upstairs to your room."  
  
Kagome shook her head silently, turning and running out to the well. The last thing she heard was her grandfather's angry shouts for her to return.  
  
*** End Flashback ***  
  
[What could have caused them to change so suddenly? Mom and Grandpa were always able to take care of both Souta and me. Now that it's just Souta I wouldn't think they'd need that much help at home. What got them so angry?]  
  
She knew it was normal for them to worry, but something told her that the danger here in the past wasn't what had made them react the way they did. Something was wrong, something they hadn't told her, and now she couldn't go back to find out. [If I go back I probably won't be able to come here again.]  
  
Kagome sighed and suddenly realized how cold and dark it had gotten. Turning to grab her towel, she gasped when she saw a hand holding it up to her. Inuyasha was squatting beside the hot spring, his eyes questioning as he handed her the towel.   
  
"What are you doing here?"   
  
"Its too cold out and Kaede got worried so I figured I'd come see if you were ok," he set the towel down and turned around, listening to her step out of the water and wrap the towel around herself. She moved over behind a large boulder after picking up her clothes and began to dress; throwing her pj's on quickly.   
  
She stepped out and came to his side, "I'm ready."   
  
"So what is it?" Inuyasha turned to face her, feeling something pull at him at the sight of her pained eyes. "Did you not pass those finals? Did something go wrong? Who hit you?"  
  
"Don't worry about it Inuyasha," Kagome smiled sadly and began to walk, surprised to feel him take her hand. She looked up into his eyes and was surprised to see true concern written in them.  
  
"What's the matter then?"   
  
"I don't want to talk about it right now okay? I need to get some things sorted out." Kagome squeezed his hand in thanks and let him lead her towards Kaede's hut, neither letting go until they arrived and stepped inside the hut. Kagome smiled and headed towards the fire to join the others but they could see from the way it didn't seem to reach her eyes that something was wrong. That and the fact that Inuyasha kept his gaze on her made Sango, Miroku and Kaede share concerned looks but they knew to leave them be. If Kagome and Inuyasha were having problems, they knew better than to interfere.   
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
- End of Chapter 1  
  
I hope you guys liked this, I know it was kind of a short chapter, but it's really just a prelude to the main story. I'm not much of an action writer so I won't be including too much. (Although I WILL be making an effort to include it and write as well as I can.) This is going to be more of an angst fic, and the pairing will be In/Kag, possibly Mir/San. as well. Let me know if you liked it or not, I'm new at writing Inuyasha fics so I'm sort of going to decide based on reader feedback whether or not I'll continue.   
  
Thanks a bunch!  
  
~ .K.C. ~ 


	2. Finding out

* * Sounds  
  
" " Speaking  
  
[ ] Thoughts  
  
*** Flashbacks  
  
~~~ Scene change  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
It was a very hot day, too hot, in fact, for the time of year they were in. It was already mid-fall and the group was sweating as the sun shone brightly above and they continued through the mountains they'd crossed a few days earlier. They'd gotten another jewel shard, fighting against a weak youkai who'd been barely a bit taller than Shippo. Underestimating him because of his size though, both Inuyasha and Kagome sported a few cuts and bruises after he'd attacked her to get her shards.   
  
Now as they headed back to Kaede's hut, Sango and Miroku followed their wounded friends silently, both wondering about the unbroken tension between them. Whatever it was that had been bothering them the other day had obviously not been cleared up yet and neither seemed willing to break in and talk. Kagome had been surprisingly reserved since she'd come back, still troubled by whatever had happened during her time.  
  
"I'm hot," Shippo's whine broke the silence.  
  
Kagome sighed, pulling off her pack to look for her water bottles. There was only one left, looking up at her friends she handed it over to Shippo, "Don't drink all of it ok? Its the only bottle left and everyone else is thirsty too."   
  
"Hai," Shippo greedily took the bottle and put it to his lips, gulping down the water despite her explanation.   
  
Inyasha's bop on the head made him put it down to complain. "Didn't you hear that everyone else is thirsty too? What's the matter with you? Kagome or Sango might want some water too!"   
  
"Sorry," the kitsune handed the bottle to Sango, who thanked him and Inuyasha before drinking a little of what was left. Turning to offer some to Kagome, they were surprised to see she was way ahead of them, having thrown her backpack on and continued.   
  
"Hey bitch, wait up!" Inuyasha growled at them to hurry and ran to catch up to her. "What the heck's your problem?"   
  
"I have to go home," Kagome kept up her pace, glancing back at the others who were hurrying to catch up. "I have to find out what's wrong."  
  
"I'm coming with you," he turned and opened his mouth to tell the others.   
  
"No Inuyasha, I don't think that'd be a good idea right now," Kagome interrupted him. "I need to go home alone."  
  
They stopped beneath a tree, relieved to have reached the bottom of the mountain and the edge of the forest. Kaede's hut was less than an hour's walk from where they stood. Kagome leaned against the tree tiredly, smiling at her friends coming towards them.  
  
Inuyasha huffed, "If you really think I'm letting you just go home and get slapped by someone again you're seriously wrong."  
  
"Would it make a difference if I told you I want to go alone?" Kagome asked quietly. "I need to handle this on my own."  
  
"Nope," he smirked at the whining kitsune before them.  
  
"Kagome why'd you go so fast? We're tired and hot and couldn't catch up to you!" Shippo pouted and fell onto his back on the cool grass beneath them.  
  
"Please?" Kagome continued their conversation, her shaky voice betraying her emotions, "I want to go Inuyasha, by myself! I'll come back as soon as possible, but I need to go on my own."  
  
"If you go, I go."   
  
"No," Kagome shook her head angrily, "I was asking nicely so as not to hurt your feelings but I'm not taking you with me."  
  
"Who said you HAD to? I can get there on my own," Inuyasha reminded her, glaring angrily at her commanding tone of voice.  
  
"Not if I put spells on the well you can't," Kagome reminded him, "And I will if I have to."  
  
Inuyasha and the gang stared at her wide-eyed, "You wouldn't."  
  
She sighed, "I don't want to but if I absolutely must, then yes, I would. I'm telling you that the problems I had at home were serious and I need to go back and deal with them myself. Please understand me Inuyasha."   
  
The hanyou crossed his arms into his sleeves, "Feh, why should I?"  
  
Kagome became angry, "Because I always understand when you run off with KIKYO!"   
  
Sango gasped, surprised her friend would bring the dead miko into their argument, but Kagome kept speaking.   
  
"I understand that you love her and that you feel obligated to go see to her well being whenever she shows up, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm ok with it or that I'm not hurt every time you run off at the slightest sign she might be near." Kagome's anger began to fade, "But she's a part of your life and I understand that now, why can't you do the same?"  
  
"Because its not the same Kagome! My going off with Kikyo is nothing like your going back to the future with your family." Inuyasha glared, pissed off at her bringing Kikyo into the matter.  
  
"Whatever, I'm going now," Kagome smiled at her friends and knew that at least they understood. "I'll see you all in a couple of days ok?"   
  
"Have a good time Kagome-sama," Miroku smiled up at her from where he sat.   
  
"Take care Kagome! Don't forget my chocolate ok?" Shippo waved goodbye and watched her go, glaring at Inuyasha's back as he followed her, still arguing over her return.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Two days," Kagome sighed, climbing over the edge of the well. Inuyasha had given in, allowing her two days before he came to take her back.   
  
Standing in the doorway of the well house, she listened carefully and was relieved to hear no sounds coming from the house. [No one should be home now besides grandpa.] Going inside and calling out a greeting, she wasn't surprised to get no response, thinking her grandpa was probably out at the groceries or something like that.   
  
She went upstairs and directly to the bathroom, leaving the bath water running while she went to drop off her backpack in her room and grab some clean clothes. While soaking in the tub, she hummed one of her favorite songs, relaxing for the first time in days. [I'm sure whatever it was couldn't have been that bad. Mom and Grandpa are sure to be cooled down by now.]   
  
The sound of noises outside the bathroom coming down the hallway made her eyes snap open. Kagome quickly rinsed off and hopped out of the tub, throwing on her clothes, and exiting the steam-filled bathroom to find mom's room was open, which was strange because it had been closed before. Walking over and peering into room carefully, she was stunned at the sight she found.  
  
Her mom lay on her bed, propped up by a bunch of pillows and seemingly relaxing.   
  
"Mom?"   
  
Mrs. Higurashi's eyes opened and focused on her, "Kagome? You were supposed to be in the past... did anything happen? Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine," Kagome looked at her carefully, "But what are you doing home? Are you feeling ok?"   
  
"Kagome come here sweetie," her mother instructed calmly, moving over for her daughter to take a seat next to her. "We need to talk."  
  
Half an hour later, Kagome stared at her mother while she opened her windows to let some fresh air in. "How long have you known?"  
  
"I... I found out years ago," her mother sighed walking over to her daughter again and sitting beside her. "Eleven years to be precise."  
  
Seeing Kagome's shocked and hurt expression, she hurried to explain. "I wanted to tell you before, I planned things to say, but you were so little when I found out and I didn't want you to worry all the time. Then your father died and I didn't have the heart to tell you."  
  
"I had no idea," Kagome wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and snuggled up to her as she had when she was younger. "If I hadn't been gone all the time I would have known. You were right to be angry with me."   
  
"No, you couldn't have known, even if you hadn't been leaving. I knew LONG before you started venturing into the well with Inuyasha but I couldn't tell you. And I know they need you in the past but we're going to need you here too." Her mom hugged her tightly.  
  
"I'm sorry we were so hard on you the other day and that we hurt you Kagome, but we're going to need you to stay around here a lot more often now. I need help with errands and with your brother. Grandpa is tired and old, he can't help me as much and Souta's still a little boy."   
  
"I know, I'll stay," Kagome sighed, knowing Inuyasha was going to have a fit for what she'd just said.   
  
"I'm sorry I have to put more pressure on you Kagome, I wish I didn't have to." Her mother choked up and tightened her hug, kissing the top of Kagome's head. "If I see that you need help I'll get Mayumi-san to come live with us, she's been helping me now for about five years so she'd know what to do."  
  
Kagome's eyes were welled with tears, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke, "I can't believe this is happening!"  
  
"I know sweetie, I'm so sorry," Her mother sniffed and held her even tighter. "I'm so sorry Kagome, this is going to be so difficult for everyone and I know you already have a lot to deal with. I'm just so sorry, I never would have thought things would come to this."  
  
Kagome struggled to hold in her tears, knowing she'd have to be stronger from now on. She heard her mother give a tired sigh and lifted her head, urging her mom to take a nap. "Don't worry about it Momma, we'll be ok, all of us."  
  
After a moment of silence, she pulled away, forcing a smile, "Why don't you just relax for a little while, I'll go make up some lunch for when Souta comes home ok?"   
  
"All right," her mom kissed her cheek and thanked her before she left the room.  
  
Heading downstairs numbly, Kagome stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning aginst the wall for support. Eleven years... it had taken eleven years for anything to happen, and suddenly, they had so little time. Looking around the kitchen, seeing her mom cooking dinner, at the table with the family, a strangled gasp made its way out of her mouth as the reality of what she'd been told sunk in. [ Only 5-6 months left ]  
  
She slid down the wall, sitting and hugging her knees tightly. [What am I going to do? How can I explain to Inuyasha and the others that I have to stay home more often? How can I even leave my home now? They're going to need me here.]   
  
Snapping out of her thoughts when her cat rubbed against her, Kagome remembered that she was supposed to be making Souta lunch and quickly stood up, heading over to the fridge to see what she could make. [Too bad he's not addicted to Ramen like Inuyasha, that'd be quick.]   
  
Pulling out some vegetables and fish, she quickly set herself to the task at hand, forcing herself to keep from focusing on all the troubles that were soon to come. Souta came home right as she finished and was surprised to find her home. "When did you come back? Did you get in trouble with Mom for leaving? Has grandpa seen you yet? Oh he was really mad when you ran off the other night."  
  
"I got home this morning, Mom's ok with it and grandpa hasn't come home yet," Kagome had him wash his hands and set his food on the table.   
  
"Are you going to have lunch too?" Souta sat and hesitated before picking up his chopsticks.  
  
"Hai, give me a minute to see if Mom's hungry," Kagome was going out of the kitchen when her mom came down the stairs. "Are you joining us for lunch?"  
  
"Hai," she smiled and greeted Souta with a kiss on his head, taking her seat at Kagome's insistence. "Thank you dear."  
  
"You're welcome," Kagome watched Souta cheerfully telling her mom about his day at school and swallowed past the lump in her throat. [Kami-sama help us please]   
  
~~~~~~  
  
Her grandpa didn't arrive until surprisingly late, only Kagome and her mom were awake and watching TV together in the living room. He arrived and immediately went to his room, wishing them a quick good night. Both Kagome and her mother sighed and agreed they should go to sleep.   
  
"Mom, what are your plans for tomorrow?"   
  
Kagome's mom had just turned off the TV, "Hmm? Oh, tomorrow? I have an appointment early in the morning with Dr. Funikoda and then I'm going with Mayumi-san for tea tomorrow afternoon."   
  
"And Grandpa?"  
  
"He's coming with me to the doctor's appointment and then going over to a friend's house again," Mrs Higurashi kissed Kagome on the cheek, wishing her a good night as they made their way upstairs.  
  
"Good night," Kagome closed the door to her room quietly, turning and staring at it in a new light. On the few shelves in her room stood her pictures. One of her group of friends at the beach the previous summer, and another of the four of them at the beginning of the school year. There was a picture of Kagome and Souta, when they were younger and had gone to visit one of their grandpa's friends in Yokohama.   
  
[Weren't they sick?] Kagome looked closely at the lady sitting between them. Remembering the trip, she hadn't thought much about her mother and her friend's lounging about. They were on vacation after all, and it was normal for her mom to want to relax. [But didn't she spend the whole vacation on the lounge chairs or sleeping?]  
  
Thinking over their trip to the beach also, their mom had insisted that she wanted to stay and rest, sending them off with grandpa to get ice-cream or food. They'd gone to the aquarium and all the places one usually visits and she had sat down quite a bit, had gotten sick often because of the food, and had been tired nearly all the time.  
  
[Why didn't I ever notice those things before?] Kagome struggled to hold back her tears again, moving over to her computer. Logging onto the internet, she quickly looked up any and all information she could find. She needed to know what it was, how to help deal with it, and what to expect. Searching and reading through countless pages, she finally fell into an exhausted asleep at her desk.  
  
The next day went by quickly, Kagome went to school, her mom and grandpa went to their appointments and Souta joined her after school at a nearby ice-cream parlor.   
  
"Ok, what's this about?" he stared at his older sister suspiciously.  
  
"Nothing, I just thought that we never get to do things together since I'm always gone," Kagome smiled and took a bite of her chocolate chip cone.   
  
They ate in silence for a while, Souta finally working up the courage to speak. His voice was surprisingly subdued for once.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Hai?"   
  
"There's something wrong isn't there?" he watched her eyes widen in surprise, a guilty expression in them for a second before she managed to hide it with a smile.   
  
Kagome pulled her cone down and wiped her mouth, "What makes you think that Souta?"  
  
He shrugged, "Momma's been acting weird lately, like she's tired or cranky. She went to a funeral the other day and was really shaken up by it."  
  
"A funeral?" Kagome's mouth dropped in surprise, "When was this? Why wasn't I told anything?"   
  
"It was the day after my birthday party actually, Mom was real upset 'cuz they called when we were supposed to blow out the candles and told her that her friend Akira had passed away." Souta rubbed his neck uncomfortably, "She's been really edgy ever since the service."  
  
"Oh Souta," Kagome's eyes softened.   
  
"She's sick isn't she?" Souta put his cup down and looked her in the eyes, noticing immediately as she struggled to hold back her tears, a lump forming in his throat as he received his answer.  
  
"How bad is it?" he whispered.  
  
Kagome shrugged, "I don't know, she just told me yesterday."  
  
"It looks bad doesn't it?" Souta struggled to keep his composure.  
  
Kagome's throat clogged, not allowing her to answer verbally, merely nodding her head. Looking down at his ice-cream, Souta's appetite disappeared as his vision blurred. To his surprise, Kagome's arms suddenly wrapped around him and pulled him close. Looking up he saw that she'd come around the table and was kneeling to his right. Forgetting the cup in front of him, he quickly turned and hugged her tight, his little body shaking as he let out worried tears.   
  
"Shh... It'll be ok Souta... Everything's gonna be fine." Kagome kissed his temple and held him tighter while he cried.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
- End of Chapter 2  
  
Thank you SO much to those of you who reviewed. Well, now you have a slight idea of what's going on, although I've decided to leave the actual name of the sickness for the next chapter. Feel free to leave me any suggestions or comments you might have. I'm beginning the new chapter tomorrow so it should be out by the end of the week.   
  
Thank you once again!  
  
Anzu2 - Thank you! I'm so relieved you thought I did well for a newbie, this is barely my second In. fic and the first didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped so your review really cheered me up.  
  
YukinaKagomeSerena - Thanks for the tip, I've gone back and corrected the spelling mistakes ^.^;  
  
And I've made sure I checked the spelling on this chapter too.  
  
Blackcat - I'm glad you liked the story. Don't worry about using captial letters for emphasis, most people don't mind it and I use it in the same manner. Since I don't have a program that works with html well enough, I have to show emphasis with capitals too. (As you might have noticed)  
  
SkittlesStar25 - I'm glad you find the storyline original, that's pretty hard to do in a genre as popular as Inuyasha. I read Inuyasha fics all the time, but I try not to use what I read in my own fics because most people see it badly. I use most of my reading for referencing the character's personality, since I'm really afraid of portraying them OOC. But thanks a bunch for the suggestions! I really appreciate your taking the time to help me out.  
  
Thanks to everyone who's read this so far! See you next chapter!  
  
~ .K.C. ~ 


	3. Uncle Daisuke

Author's Note: Dear me, I definitely took too long with this update, but damn that square that landed on my head and kept any ideas from coming for this story!   
  
Sorry y'all, I had a REALLY bad case of writer's block - suddenly the plot I'd started with wasn't good enough, my ideas all sucked and I had no idea how to fix'em *sigh*  
  
* ____ * Lyrics  
  
" ____ " Speaking  
  
[ ____ ] Thoughts  
  
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"Honey I'm home!"   
  
Souta and Kagome's head's came up from where they hung off the edge of his bed. "Is that who I think it is?"   
  
Kagome frowned, "I don't think so... he's in the U.S. right?"   
  
"Oh my goodness! Daisuke!" Their mom's excited voice confirmed their conclusion, sending them both flying off the bed and out the door.   
  
"Ojii-san!"   
  
"Hey kids!"   
  
Letting go of his sister, the young man stretched for a hug, eyes widening in surprise when he took in the changes in them. "My god, look how grown you are! How long's it been?"   
  
"Forever!" Souta smiled, hugging his uncle tightly. "We've missed you so much!"   
  
"Hai, we were worried when you stopped writing!" Kagome bounced behind her little brother, finally shoving him out of her way so she could get her own hug. "Look I reach past your shoulder!"  
  
"Hai, my little girl's all grown up!" He laughed and leaned back to eye them both carefully, "I can't believe this, Kagome how old are you?"   
  
"Seventeen," Kagome grinned, "The last time you saw me I was Souta's age."  
  
"I'm shocked," her uncle smiled back, seemingly overwhelmed to see them so big. "The last time we played you insisted on using your blue truck, remember Souta?"   
  
"I was really little back then," Souta nodded, "I'm twelve now."  
  
"Five years," Daisuke sighed, turning to hug his sister once again. "How time flies, ne-?"  
  
"It sure does," she smiled and hugged her little brother, stepping back to see him fully also. "You've grown to be quite handsome Dai, father will be pleased."  
  
"Where is the old bat anyways?" Daisuke looked around for him, a light gleam in his bright blue eyes. "Not home? Since when does he leave his cave?"  
  
"Since he has pressing business downtown," his sister became serious for a second before inviting him for some tea.  
  
"Tea? I was hoping you'd invite me to stay," he laughed, relieved to see the kids eagerly nod. "Five years away with no home or family makes a guy awfully lonely you know?"  
  
"Please can he stay mom? Please?" Souta fairly begged, batting his eyes and everything.  
  
Asami nodded, scolding them playfully, "Like I'd really let him go so soon."  
  
"Great! I'll show him to the extra room!" Souta dragged his uncle upstairs, leaving them to finish the tea while they put his bags in his room.   
  
Kagome watched them with a smile, moving over to the window and gazing out at the familiar well house with a whistful expression. [How I miss them all] Her mother's voice brought her back to the present, asking her question once again.   
  
"Oh, yeah, it is nice having him back, its always worried you not knowing how he was." she answered quietly.  
  
"You miss them don't you?" Asami asked, watching her daughter sadly. "Don't you think you should go see them? I'm sure Inuyasha must be either worried or furious by now."  
  
"I should," Kagome shrugged, noticing her mom's guilty smile, "But he'll survive without me, its good to get away sometimes and I'm needed here more."   
  
"Maybe you'll be able to go back soon, now that your uncle is here again, he can help me," her mother tried to cheer her up. "You could go for a week or two."  
  
"And what would we tell ojii-san? That I lock myself up in the well house for two weeks at a time to find inner peace? Never mind him, grandpa would have my head and I really don't need to go back mom. Believe me, if I did, I'd be going." Kagome assured her, "With your permission of course."  
  
"Of course," Asami agreed, beaming once again, "Here they come, let's take this to the living room so we can listen to your uncle for a while, how about it?"  
  
"Sure thing," picking up the tea tray, Kagome followed her mom out of the kitchen, spirits dampening at the thought of how weak she'd become. [And its only been two weeks since she told us. How accurate are the doctors?]   
  
Sitting down and serving the teas, Kagome forced herself not to worry for the moment. Her uncle was home and that was all that mattered right now. [I hadn't really thought of the age difference between him and mom before but what is it... twelve years? Which means he's only twenty six! No wonder he's still so young, mom's much older.]   
  
Focusing on the conversation again, Kagome laughed at a joke he told and listened eagerly to hear of his time in California.   
  
  
  
  
  
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"Its good to have you finally home my boy," grandpa smiled proudly at his son. "You've gotten a lot wiser since you left, I imagine you're looking to settle down with a nice girl here in Tokyo now that you're back."  
  
Daisuke shrugged, "I was mostly homesick for my family, I came to spend some time with all of you and take a break for a while before deciding what to do. I've asked the company to give me the vacation I'm owed and so I'll have the next three months off."  
  
"Three months?" Kagome and Souta gaped.  
  
"I worked holidays to earn some extra time off," he shrugged, complimenting their mom on the oden. "This is really great sis, I haven't had such good food in years."   
  
"Thank you, but Kagome deserves the credit, she's the house chef now," Asami patted her daughter's knee proudly. "Isn't she beautiful? I'm so proud of my little girl."  
  
"She's gorgeous," he agreed, winking playfully at his niece, "And she'd a darn good cook too."  
  
"Only took her three tries to get it right," Souta teased. "But I'd say she's gotten better, her specialty is ramen."  
  
"Shut up!" Kagome frowned, glaring daggers at him, "I haven't made ramen in weeks!"  
  
"Kagome!" her mother sighed and apologized, "She's a little touchy about some subjects."  
  
"Oh really? Why's that?" Daisuke listened with interest while Souta happily explained, "She's just upset 'cause grandpa won't let her go see her boyfriend Inuyasha!"   
  
"That's not true!" Kagome fumed, "Inuyasha is not my boyfriend! He's a bossy, over-bearing jerk who's barely my friend!"   
  
"Riiiight, and that's why you sigh and say 'oh Inuyasha' or 'what are you doing now?' when you think no one's nearby?" Souta laughed, watching her face redden while she gripped her chopsticks with white knuckles.  
  
"You..." her reply was cut off by her uncle's calm voice.  
  
"Why don't you let her go visit her friend? Have they done anything wrong?" he asked casually.  
  
Grandpa shook his head and gave the kids warning looks to calm down, "Its just that we've needed her to stay home and when she goes to see the boy she's usually gone for days."  
  
"Days? Why days?"   
  
Kagome hurried to explain, "He lives pretty far from here, in Izu actually, so I usually stay with his family when I visit. Mom knows Mrs. Tetsusaiga pretty well so there's no problem and we wouldn't do anything 'cause we're not dating."  
  
Her uncle frowned, asking easily, "Why not? Is he blind?"   
  
Kagome blushed, "Just rude, stubborn and bossy."  
  
He nodded sagely, "Not the best boyfriend material I'd say."   
  
"Nope," Kagome shrugged, digging into her food once again.  
  
Souta was already done, after excusing himself, he pouted when his mom ordered him to get ready for bed. "But mom! Uncle Daisuke just came home!"   
  
"He'll still be here tomorrow," she calmly reminded him, "You can see him after school."  
  
"Hey, how about I pick you two up and take you out to the movies or something?" he asked, bringing eager smiles to both their faces.   
  
"Sounds great!" Kagome quietly excused herself, putting her dishes in the sink and kissing her mom on the cheek before heading upstairs.   
  
"What? No kiss for us?" her uncle joked, laughing along with her mom and grandpa.  
  
Kagome came back from the door, an exagerated sigh escaping her lips, "If I must."   
  
Stopping while he stood with his empty dishes, Kagome was forced to lean up to reach his cheek, her hands resting lightly on his shoulder. After getting a small hug, she quickly kissed her grandpa and wished them a goodnight, hurrying upstairs to change.   
  
Half an hour later, she was coming out of the bathroom when her mom's voice reached her ears. "I'm mostly worried about dad, he's not getting any younger you know and he'll need help with the kids. Kagome's old enough to look after herself, she's seventeen and she's got her own life now with responsibilities that keep her away most of the time. But how is dad supposed to keep an eye out on Souta when he's busy with the shrine all the time?"   
  
"H-how much longer do you think..." her uncle's voice stopped, obvious surprise and pain etched in it.  
  
"I'd say another four-five months, give or take, depending on how well my body reacts to the treatments we've begun." Asami spoke too softly, forcing Kagome to slip downstairs quietly and stand outside the living room to hear.  
  
"Good lord... why wasn't I told before? I had no idea 'Sami, I would have come back, I could have helped!" Daisuke was now a bit angry. "I should have known!"   
  
"I didn't want to worry you and keep you here when you had such a good job in the U.S. Besides, isn't that what you studied so hard for? The chance to see the world? Travel and have fun? Its always been your dream, I couldn't keep you from it." Asami was interrupted by a yawn, and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I just don't have much energy anymore."  
  
"Don't sweat it," Daisuke sighed, standing and helping her up. "And don't worry about the other issues, we'll figure something out."   
  
"Thanks," her mom's voice came closer, making Kagome hurry upstairs, "Its so nice to have you home!"   
  
"Its good to be here," he replied softly.  
  
Listening to them make their way to their rooms, Kagome sat on her bed and stared up at the fake stars, wondering what would happen now. [Mom's right, Inuyasha must be furious or worried. He told me to stay for two days and its been almost a month! Poor Shippo too! But how can I leave when mom's so sick?]  
  
  
  
  
  
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[Damned girl!]   
  
Inuyasha stared lazily up at the sky, worrying yet again about her extended absence. [Its been three weeks! Three weeks without Kagome! Is the well broken? Why can't I get through?]   
  
Worry over it being sealed off permanently had him sitting in a tree facing the old wooden structure, attempting every chance he got to go through. She'd promised not to take more than two days, she'd been gone for 21, and it wasn't like Kagome to break her word, not this badly.   
  
"Inuyasha?"   
  
Shippo's worried little voice made him frown and look down at the grass below. "Yeah?"  
  
"Do you think she's ever coming back? Maybe she's locked back in her own time!" The kit sat beneath him and leaned against the tree, staring out at the well ahead also.  
  
"How the heck am I supposed to know?"   
  
Shippo sighed, "I was just wondering since you can't go get her."   
  
He sniffled, causing the hanyou to roll his eyes again, "Not more crying!"  
  
"Well excuse me for missing her! I know you don't care! You only want her back so we can go look for more shards but I miss my mother!" Shippo's sniffles intensified, soft sobs wracking his small form.  
  
"I do so miss her," Inuyasha startled him, gently lifting the kit up into his lap. "We are friends after all."   
  
"You really miss her?" Shippo asked, curling up to his his 'dad.' [Of course you do, you love her ne-?]  
  
"Feh, I guess I do, yeah," Inuyasha tried to play it off, crossing his arm over his stomach to keep the kit from getting cold, his haori sleeve draping over his small back.   
  
"I'm sure she misses us too Inuyasha, Kagome loves us," Shippo's mumbled whisper sent a strange pang through his stomach, wondering how true that was. [How could she love someone who treats her the way I do?]   
  
Hearing Miroku approach, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep, hoping he would be left alone to wonder about the broken well. [Not even the monk and old miko could get that unsealed.]   
  
"Come home soon Kagome-sama," Miroku whispered, loudly enough for Inuyasha to hear, "We really do need you."   
  
  
  
  
  
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"Eew!"   
  
Kagome frowned, leaning closer to her uncle for protection. Although she was halfway on his lap already, the sight of spiders attacking people on screen made even an experienced miko like her shudder in fear.   
  
"Its only a movie," he laughed, moving the arm that was around her shoulder to accomodate her better. His hand rested on her leg, the only place comfortable for it to rest.  
  
"Its gross and freaky," Kagome whispered, staring in horror while the man struggled to swap the bugs from his legs.   
  
A soft touch on her upper thight made her jump and take in a breath, wide eyes turning to see his laughing ones as his fingers lightly touched her. "Feel like a spider?"  
  
"Yes! You scared me for a second!" Unthinkingly slapping the hand against her thight to make it stop, Kagome suddenly realized her skirt draped over it and blushed, wondering how to get herself out of this mess.   
  
Luckily her uncle helped, simply by reaching over for the soda she'd discarded and taking a sip. "How can you freak out with tiny little spiders when you see enormous ones all the time?" Souta teased after the movie was over.  
  
"Believe me, I freak out even worse then, if not for Inuyasha I'd have a heart attack," Kagome shrugged, staring into a shop window selling the Rurouni Kenshin DVD's. "I wonder if he'd like that series?"   
  
"Hmm? Did you say something Kagome?" her uncle seemed to snap back to their conversation.   
  
Kagome shook her head, "No, nothing."   
  
After strolling through downtown for a while and grabbing some ice cream, they finally headed back to the shrine, Souta and Daisuke staying outside to play some football. Removing her shoes, Kagome entered the kitchen and frowned, surprised by the mess that hadn't been there when she left that morning. "Mom?"  
  
"Kagome?" her mom's weak voice alerting her to the type of day she'd had.   
  
Hurrying over to the living room, she found her mom lying on the sofa with a blanket over her lower body. "Hey."   
  
"I'm sorry about the mess dear, I wanted to have something ready when you got home but I got so tired suddenly," Asami lay curled on her side, a sad look in her eyes again.  
  
Kagome struggled to keep her cheerful smile, "Don't worry about it! I'll whip up something quick, maybe some ramen."  
  
The rest of the day passed by pretty uneventfully, grandpa called and said he wouldn't be home and her mom slept most of the afternoon away. It was nearing Souta's bedtime when she woke up again, calling for Kagome urgently.   
  
"Help me upstairs honey," struggling against the stabs of pain running through her, Asami leaned heavily against her daughter on the way, refusing her brother's offers to help. "We've done this before Dai, its fine."  
  
"Really it is," Kagome helped her mother upstairs and to her room.   
  
"I need my pills dear," Asami groaned, rolling up into herself on the bed, blankets bunching up around her trembling figure.  
  
"They're right here mom," Kagome quickly filled the glass that was now a permanent figure on her mother's nightstand and handed over the medicine, biting her lip while watching her for a moment.   
  
Souta came in and wished his mom a good night, giving her a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug. "Sleep tight mom."  
  
"You too baby," Asami smiled, watching her son leave the room. Turning towards Kagome she wasn't surprised to see her ready for bed and calmly brushing her hair out. "You're so grown up."  
  
"Hm...?" Kagome blinked, smiling back and nodding, "I guess I am."   
  
"You know, I think your time with Inuyasha and your friends has really helped you mature. You've grown up so quickly Kagome. You're not the naive girl your friends are, you know what its like to be on your own and depend on yourself. I'm so proud of you." Asami patted the bed and smiled when Kagome slipped onto it beside her, resting her head on her mother's arm the way she would when she was little.   
  
"I know mom, you've always been good at showing us your approval and making sure we knew we could depend on you if needed. Growing up watching you take care of us set the best example for me, I always wanted to be as independent as you." Kagome inhaled her scent, vanilla and soap, with just a touch of cinnamon.   
  
"Believe me, you've done it Kagome," Asami sighed, running her hands through Kagome's hair, "I meant to tell you earlier but I couldn't seem to stay awake long enough to do it. I'm going away the day after tomorrow."   
  
"What?" Kagome leaned back, frowning in worry, "To where?"  
  
"There's a new treatment my doctor wants me to try, its not available here yet, but I was talking to Daisuke and he knows some people in Los Angeles who could take me in for the time necessary."   
  
Kagome gasped, "You'd go all the way to California? By yourself?"   
  
"No, grandpa's coming with me," Asami continued, "That's what he's been so busy with lately, getting our visa's and passports and things ready. We'd been planning on going with Souta after school got out anyways, but now that Daisuke's here he's made it easier for us since we won't have to take him."   
  
"How long will you be gone?"   
  
Asami shrugged, "Probably a month, maybe less, maybe a little more. The doctor really wants me to try it and the specialist in L.A. has agreed to take on my case."   
  
"Have you told Souta?"   
  
"Your grandpa's probably telling him now, we just made the final decision a few days ago," Asami sighed and closed her eyes, feeling sleep taking over.  
  
"If that's what you need mom," Kagome kissed her cheek and covered her with the blanket, slipping from the room quietly.   
  
Heading to her room, Kagome flopped onto her bed and fought back tears, worry over her mom's deteriorating health and her upcoming absence cutting through her. After hours of researching online for other options, she finally fell into a deep sleep at the desk, wishing she could somehow make everything better again.   
  
  
  
  
  
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"Take care of yourselves ok? I really wish you'd take me with you," Kagome hugged her grandpa and watched her brother with their mom.   
  
Grandpa nodded but gave her a sad look, "We need you to take care of Souta and keep the shrine running, your uncle is a good businessman but he knows nothing about the kami, rites and spells and charms. I'm really counting on you Kagome."  
  
"I know," kissing his cheek again, she switched places with her brother and wished her mom the best of luck, hugging her tightly and kissing her soundly on both cheeks.   
  
"Watch over those boys dear, don't let them get too wild," Asami smiled and hugged her daughter, dismayed when their last boarding call was announced. "Make sure you go back and see Inuyasha too, tell him what's going on Kagome, he has a right to know."   
  
"I will," Kagome sighed, stepping back and watching with tears in her eyes as they walked away and boarded the plane, turning to wave a few times before the door of the runway was closed up.   
  
Silently walking with her brother's hand in hers to the car, she smiled at her uncle when he opened the doors and closed them after they'd taken their seats. "Don't worry kids, I'm sure she'll be just fine, those americans have some great new treatments that'll have her back here in no time."  
  
"I hope so," Souta mumbled, lying down across the backseat and closing his eyes.   
  
Kagome faintly nodded, giving her uncle a small smile when his hand left the gear stick and patted her knee affectionately. Focused more on the scenery outside than on his attempt to cheer her up, she tensed suddenly, as the hand on her leg slipped beneath her skirt, massaging her upper thigh softly. Keeping her eyes on the road outside, Kagome struggled to understand what was going on until it slipped furthur forward, fingers lightly stroking the inside of her thigh more intimately.   
  
Unsure of what to do, Kagome casually crossed her leg over the other, forcing him to pull his hand back out of her skirt. Watching from the corner of her eye, she saw him grin and change gears, a slight shiver running through her at the glint in his eye.   
  
[What am I thinking? This is uncle Daisuke, he's mom's little brother, of course he didn't mean it! Don't be so paranoid Kagome, hanging out with Sango and Miroku has definitely affected me more deeply than I'd realized.]  
  
Settling back into her seat, Kagome watched a plane fly away over their heads and wished her mom a safe trip once again.  
  
  
  
  
  
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^_^;  
  
Gomen, I know this update took forever, and the storyline just changed course radically. Don't worry, her mom won't be gone too long, and Kagome will be seeing her friends next chapter. Thanks to those of you who reviewed, I'm typing this up at school and they time you on the computer so forgive me for not thanking you personally.   
  
Hope to see you next update, ja! 


	4. Back again

" " Speaking  
  
[ ] Thoughts  
  
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[How the heck did they get THAT answer?]  
  
Kagome glared at the book's answer sheet and her own eraser-marked paper. She'd been doing math for over an hour which was not helping her sullen mood. It had been two days since her mom and grandpa had gone to L.A. Two days and she had yet to escape into the well. [Damn tests]  
  
Thankfully tomorrow she'd take the last one (math) and be able to leave. In all honesty she had never looked forward to something more than she did to going back to the past now. Her friends in the Sengoku Jidai must be worried about her and Inuyasha would definitely be furious.   
  
"Just one more day Inuyasha... one more day..."  
  
Taking her eyes off the pages to stare out her window, a cheerful voice snapped her from her daydreaming. "Time for dinner 'Ome."  
  
"I'll be right there uncle Dai," closing her books, she gladly turned off her lamp and stretched.  
  
Hurrying downstairs, she helped set up the table and was surprised when the doorbell rang. Souta offered to get it and hurried over, calling out "Who is it?"  
  
"Alexei," an unfamiliar voice replied.  
  
"Let him in Souta, I forgot I'd iinvited him," Daisuke took off the apron he'd borrowed and smiled, "Hope you guys don't mind."  
  
"No," both Kagome and Souta shook their heads, standing next to each other while their uncle opened the door.  
  
"Hey man! Its great you could make it!" Dai hugged his friend briefly   
  
(Not like THAT folks - like a Chandler/Joey manly friends hug ok?)... (Well ok, so those hugs aren't so manly either - you get my point though!)  
  
The stranger thumped his back and stepped away, "It was a long trip but its good to be here."  
  
"Tell me about it," turning to their audience, Dai grinned and waved them over, "I'd like you to meet my sister's kids, Kagome and Souta Higurashi, and kids this is a good friend of mine Alexei."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Kagome and Souta bowed as was proper, smiling when he returned the greeting with an added flair.   
  
"Alexei Di Merrici at your service," the man caught Kagome's eye and gave her a playful wink.  
  
To her horror, Kagome felt a blush stain her cheeks and looked down in embarrassment. It was only natural however, that any girl get flustered under Alexei's attentions. The man was, in a word, beautiful. Tall, lean, with a perfectly sculpted body. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans which seemed painted on, they fit so perfectly, with a black shirt that clung to his toned chest. His emerald eyes sparkled jovially beneath long black lashes and added, along with the deep dimple in his left cheek, a rakish air of sensuality no girl could think to turn down.   
  
Add to that the bronzed tone of his skin, spiky black hair and a fascinating accent and you had a very attractive man.  
  
[Wait what am I thinking?] But Kagome's curiosity was spiked causing her to speak before she thought, "Where are you from?"  
  
"From?" Alexei removed his shoes and followed them into the kitchen, "You mean because of my accent? I am told it is quite unique."  
  
"Exactly," sitting down in the first chair she found, Kagome watched them all sit and waited.  
  
"I'm Italian," he explained, "I met Daisuke at work in L.A. but my homeland is the beautiful Italia."  
  
"How interesting!" Kagome continued with her questions, hardly noticing her brother and uncle watching them.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt but would you two mind?" Daisuke pointed to the rice between them, "We'd like to get some eating done tonight."  
  
"Sorry," Alexei seemed to realize they were leaving the others out and focused on Daisuke. "So what are your plans now that you are back home?"  
  
"Watching out for these two should keep me pretty busy," Dai nodded to the kids serving themselves dinner and shrugged, "But I'm not sure yet, maybe set up a small business here at home to keep me busy in the mornings."  
  
"Think of anything yet?"   
  
"Perhaps," Dai stole a glance at his niece and changed topics again.   
  
Souta quickly took up where Kagome left off, finding out more about their visitor and his stay in Japan. Dinner was an interesting affair, Alexei was cheerful and fun, keeping them entertained and laughing the whole time. When dinner was over, neither Kagome nor Souta wanted to go to bed, but knew they had to. Wishing the men a good night, they headed off to their rooms and were soon asleep.  
  
Downstairs, Alexei's cheerful countenance was gone, replaced by one of worry and regret. "How is he going to contact you?"  
  
"I got an e-mail this morning with the first name, I've set something up for two weeks from now," Daisuke led the way to the office and opened his e-mail account.  
  
"Two weeks?"   
  
Daisuke rubbed his neck, "I've got to clear things up here first, ease them into the idea. Plus Kagome's leaving for two weeks tomorrow afternoon to see her boyfriend."  
  
"She has to leave to see him?" Alexei frowned a bit.  
  
"He lives in Izu, she stays with his family, my sister already ok'd it." Daisuke shrugged, "There's not much I can do."  
  
"You'd better do some quick explaining, Hans won't be pleased," Alexei focused on the e-mail and sighed, knowing just how much trouble Daisuke could get into if things didn't go as planned.  
  
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"Inuyasha you are going to come and eat!"   
  
Sango dragged the growling hanyou to the village by his hair, seemingly undisturbed by his fierce growls and furious threats. He'd refused to leave the well for days now and she was not going to lug his food to him only to have him complain because it was cold again. Everyone knew he was on edge because of the blocked well and the girl's delay, but they were the ones getting the brunt of his anger and they were getting tired of putting up with it. Even Shippo seemed to be taking things better.  
  
Reaching Kaeded's hut, Sango finally seemed to realize just HOW angry the hanyou was and quickly looked around for a way to... aha!   
  
Just as she felt his control snap, Sango suddenly let go and ran as fast as she could to the grinning monk standing a few feet away. Grabbing onto his arm, she quickly jumped behind him, using him as a shield between herself and the snarling Inuyasha stomping their way.   
  
"I'm sorry! I just wanted to get you to come eat! The well will still be there in twenty minutes!" she shouted over his shoulder, flinching when his eyes flashed red briefly.  
  
"Damned woman! How dare you drag me here like some..." Inuyasha stopped walking as a familiar staff blocked his way.  
  
Miroku's calm gaze met his eyes unflinching, "Now now, Sango-sama was only trying to help you get out of the rut you've been sucked into recently. That tree doubtless has some sort of print from your sitting there for so long. A break could only do you good Inuyasha, forgive her."  
  
"Yeah what he said," Sango nodded, stiffing at his back suddenly when a familiar caress went across her bottom. To her shock, since she was standing quite close to his body, his arm reached further around her and his hand was able to get a good squeeze to her posterior.  
  
With an enraged scream, she cuffed the monk on the back of the head and shoved him forward into the angry hanyou. A fight soon broke out when Inuyasha shoved Miroku back into Sango, toppling the girl over with the monk crushing her body, his head cushioned by her chest. After another screech and a slap, Miroku quickly clambered up, tripped on one of his robes, reached out and grabbed onto the closest thing available - Inuyasha's rosary.  
  
They were in an all-out wrestling match when a very familiar, highly missed giggle reached their ears. Stopping mid-fight, Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha lifted their heads and froze.  
  
Standing just a few feet away with a beaming smile on her face - was Kagome, giggling at their antics as if this were just another day.   
  
To her credit, they did make for a funny view, with Miroku's head caught under Inuyasha's arm, his own hands back around the hanyou's waist, and Sango lying beneath them, her hands around Inuyasha's arm trying to loosen its hold on the houshi's neck. They had ALL been growling in frustration when Kagome arrived, easing her troubled thoughts and bringing about her giggle.  
  
The moment was broken by a high-pitched shriek from the hut, a tawny blur rushing past them and knocking the girl down with an 'oomph'.   
  
"Kagome! You're here! You're finally baaack!" Shippo clung to her and burst into loud sobs, relief washing through him now that his mother was back once again.  
  
"Hai, I'm finally here," Kagome's smile became tender while she craddled and soothed the kitsune crying into her neck. "Shhh... its ok Shippo, I'm here now baby stop..."  
  
The trio frozen in place snapped out of it and pulled themselves apart, completely forgetting about the petty quarrel they'd been in just moments ago. Hurrying to her side, Sango surprised Kagome with an enthusiastic hug, crying also in relief now that her friend was back.  
  
"We were afraid you couldn't come, when you didn't return after the two days and then Inuyasha couldn't get through the well and... oh thank kami!" Sango pulled back and wiped at her eyes, feeling oddly embarrassed at her outburst.  
  
"It is good to have you with us again Kagome-sama," Miroku's smile was warm and welcoming, showing he too was happy to have her back.  
  
"Its so good to be here," she smiled, looking over to Inuyasha who was surprisingly quiet. He wasn't even looking at her, instead he headed into Kaede's hut and closed the curtain behind him.  
  
The others exchanged curious glances but figured he'd explode soon enough. Focusing on Kagome again, they were asking questions about her time away when Kaede's voice called out to them. "Come inside and let the girl set her bag down, the food's been ready for a while now."  
  
Doing as told, Kagome followed the others in and smiled at Kaede, giving the older miko a small hug when she entered the hut. "Ye've been sorely missed child."  
  
"Thank you," she whispered, looking around for Inuyasha, frowning a little when she spotted him in a corner of the room, eating his food with his head bent down, bangs covering his face.   
  
Sitting down and leaving her backpack by the wall, she set Shippo on her lap and was once again bombarded with questions. "Wait a minute and I can explain!"  
  
When they stopped, she bit her lip and proceeded, "I know I only said I'd be gone two days, I never meant to be away for so long and I didn't want to worry you but..."  
  
"Did the well block you out?" Miroku interrupted  
  
Kagome shook her head, "No, Inuyasha couldn't get through, but... I could."  
  
Inuyasha stiffened, but said nothing, ears twitching while he listened. Miroku and Sango shared a look while Kaede spoke. "Did ye know why it blocked Inuyasha?"  
  
Kagome hesitated a moment, looking up as Inuyasha raised his head a bit to glance at her. By the look on her face he knew this wouldn't be good, and it wasn't. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to..."  
  
"You sealed me away?"   
  
It was a statement more than a question, and one she couldn't deny so she sadly nodded her head.  
  
"There was no choice Inuyasha, I..."  
  
But her apology was cut short when he stood and walked out of the hut. "Wait!"  
  
Jumping to her feet, Kagome rushed past the others and ran outside, just in time to see a blur of red disspear off to her left. "I didn't want to do it!"  
  
"Don't worry, he'll be back," Miroku stepped out beside her and set a comforting hand on her shoulder.   
  
"I was so looking forward to seeing him," Kagome sniffled, blinking back her tears again.  
  
"He has been worried Kagome, more so than the rest of us excluding Shippo I would say," Miroku gently squeezed her shoulder, "Our quarrel earlier today began when Sango knocked him out of a tree by the well and dragged him here by his hair."  
  
Kagome gaped, "Sango did that?"  
  
Miroku chuckled, "Hai, he'd been sitting there for days, we were getting desperate."  
  
Nodding her head, Kagome stared out into the forest and sighed, listening when he spoke again. "It must have hurt to hear that the one person he spends all his time protecting sealed him away. Especially since the last person he cared for sealed him in sleep for fifty years."  
  
"Kami-sama you're right," Kagome choked on a sob, shrugging his hand off her arm and heading into the forest.  
  
"Kagome wait!"  
  
"Baka!" Sango's hiraikotsu sent him sprawling to the ground, "That is NOT what she needed to hear!"  
  
"I'm sorry!" Miroku rubbed his head, wincing at the pain from the hit and the knowledge that she was right. He hadn't meant to make her feel worse, he'd just been thinking out loud - if a bit too loud.  
  
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"Inuyasha!"   
  
Kagome sniffled and wiped her eyes, regretting running out on her own the way she had. Here she was in the middle of the forest, alone, arrow-less, and feeling a familiar pull that was not the least bit welcoming under such circumstances. [Please let me be wrong, or hopefully something harmless might have found it like a bunny or a squirrel!]  
  
Stepping around a large tree, the shard was coming closer, much closer, and it was fast. [Maybe its just Kouga?] Pressing her back to the tree, she took a step backwards and screamed when she was roughly grabbed by the arm and swung into another tree.  
  
"Ohh..." moaning and coughing from the impact, she tried to focus on her attacker but was stopped by a strong grip on her neck, lifting her off her feet.   
  
Her assailant's voice was deep and frightening as he threatened her, "Give me the shards miko and I won't have to kill you."  
  
Scratching at the hand gripping her neck, Kagome could hardly breathe, forget handing anything over. Her legs swung back and forth while she frantically attempted to kick him, find a means of support, anything to get herself out of this mess.  
  
Feeling her lungs burn hotter and hotter by the second, she saw the world around her slowly dimming, the edges of her vision blurring while a vague shout reached her ears. A blur of red went by, but her hazy mind barely registered the movement as she drifted into the darkness.   
  
A cold blast entering her lungs woke her later, the burning both soothed and worsening as her body was wracked with coughs. She sucked in great quantities of air, clutching at the grass beneath her with one hand and the neck of her shirt with the other. A whimper escaped her when an attempt to swallow worsened the pain. Her throat hurt terribly, not just to breathe, but overall. She'd been crushed before but never by the neck, and kami was it bad.  
  
She shook her head and tears slipped from her closed eyes when she was pushed onto her back, whimpering again when something softly caressed her neck. A low growl reached her ears and she opened her mouth to call out for help, a pathetic and estranged cry escaping her lips instead. A hand gently covered her mouth even as a familiar voice scolded her softly.  
  
"Stupid bitch, you should have known better than to come out here alone."  
  
Opening her eyes, a wave of relief washed over her when she met a pair of golden orbs. Behind him she saw the darkening sky and wondered where he'd taken her, focusing again on his touch when he covered her neck with a wet cloth.   
  
"Where...?" she swallowed and attempted to whisper.  
  
"The spring about a mile away from Kaede's place," Inuyasha tucked the cloth around her neck carefully and sat back a little. "What were you thinking? You knew I'd come back."  
  
"Hai," Kagome mewled at the burning in her throat and was surprised by his next actions. Lifting her carefully from the ground, he rested her upper body against his chest and scooped up some water into his hand, lifting it to her lips for a drink.  
  
The water did its job and soon she thanked him in a stronger voice, one hand moving to remove the cloth at her neck while she sat up and slid sideways so she could look into his face. "I wanted to talk to you."  
  
"Feh"   
  
Moving to leave, he was surprised when she grabbed onto his haori and buried her face into his chest. "Bitch what the...?"  
  
The scent of Kagome's tears stopped him short, making Inuyasha lower his head to look at her. She was trembling in his arms, her small frame wracked with desperate, heartbroken sobs. Something was seriously wrong, despite her crybaby tendencies, this was far from her usual bout of tears. Her smell proved it also, radiating both fear and pain, two things he did not like to smell on her.  
  
Slowly wrapping his arms around her back, Inuyasha held her tight while she cried, resting his cheek against the top of her head while taking in her scent, which he also realized held an air of sickness. She finally loosened her hold on his chest with one hand, bringing it back to her neck and rubbing it gently, soothing the ache. Feeling warm and safe once again in his arms, Kagome snuggled closer and closed her eyes, whispering softly for him to forgive her seconds before falling into a deep exhausted sleep.  
  
"Feh, you've still got a lot of explaining to do wench," feeling a shiver run through her when a breeze went by. Inuyasha lifted her and easily hopped up into a tree, settling in with her on his lap and his arms securely around her, blocking the breeze with his haori sleeves. [Like what the hell made you cry like that?]  
  
Looking down at her sleeping peacefully in his arms, Inuyasha saw the faint smudges of black beneath her eyes and knew she hadn't been sleeping well. Examining her carefully, he focused on her neck and winced, remembering again the fury that had swept through him at the sight of the demon gripping it tightly and her feet dangling high off the ground. He'd caught the idiot by surprise and dealt with him quickly despite the jewel shard in its back.  
  
But she would have a nasty bruise around her neck, he could see it forming already and shook his head. "Not even back for one day Kagome, and look at the mess you got into."  
  
A soft sob reached his ears, just as the slightest smell of tears hit his nose, making him instinctively tighten his hold around her. Kagome's voice was a mere whisper, but the pain and loneliness in it managed to tear at the hanyou's heart.   
  
"Please... don't go..."  
  
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Hmmm... so any guesses on who she's dreaming with? Sorry the chapter's shorter, I'm staying at my sister's house in Arizona and hardly have time for writing or reading for that matter. (I promise things'll move faster soon - we'll get to the main plot next update.)   
  
Ja! 


	5. Another attack

Author's Note: Rating's gone up drastically for content and language.  
  
" " Speaking  
[ ] Thoughts  
  
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"Wake up Kagome, its morning," Inuyasha shook her shoulders a little. "Come on girl, wake up already."  
  
Kagome whimpered, curling up tighter while one hand touched her neck. It still hurt like the very devil, but she could feel the sunlight on her face and knew she'd have to get up already. Yawning, another soft whimper escaped her at the pain of her sore throat. Opening her eyes, she blinked against the light for a second before feeling something move from around her.  
  
Frowning a little in confusion, she turned her head and gasped when she realized where she was. Sitting back against the tree behind him, Inuyasha watched her closely, smirking inwardly at the blush that quickly spread over her cheeks. Watching her pull away, he was quick to grab onto her waist when she leaned back too far and almost fell off the branch.  
  
"Watch it, you're gonna be sore enough as it is," he joked, seeing her wince when she touched her side.  
  
"I am sore, he threw me into the tree I was dangling in front of," Kagome whispered, licking her parched lips.  
  
Inuyasha frowned, "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you'd stayed at the village, stupid."  
  
Nodding, Kagome surprised him by turning to wrap her arms around his neck and lean her head on his shoulder. "Inuyasha, you wouldn't believe how much I've missed you and your cursing and your insults!"  
  
"What?! Have you gone crazy? What the hell's the matter with you? How come you smell sick?" Inuyasha pushed her carefully back to sit facing him, her legs draped over one of his.  
  
Kagome paled and looked up with troubled eyes, "You can smell sickness on me?"  
  
He nodded, "How is she?"  
  
"She?" Kagome gulped, "She who?"  
  
Inuyasha sighed and crossed his arms, "Your mom, I guess she got worse?"  
  
"You knew?!" Kagome's voice cracked and she swallowed thickly, "Y-You knew she was sick?! And you didn't SAY anything?!"  
  
"I thought you did too!" Inuyasha defended himself, "Its been there since I met you, I figured it was something you didn't talk about like your dad."  
  
"What about my dad?" Kagome asked, wrapping her arms across her chest tightly, "And how bad is the smell?"  
  
"It wasn't as bad as it is now," Inuyasha leaned forward and took a stronger sniff off her shirt. "She's really sick isn't she?"  
  
She covered her lips with her hands and nodded, tears welling in her eyes again as she realized just how bad her mom's condition was. Struggling to hold in her sobs, she finally gained control of her emotions and speak again. "I heard her talking to uncle Dai, the doctors said she's only got a few months left."  
  
Understanding now the need for her to stay in her time, Inuyasha glanced away, unsure of how to act. She made the decision for him though, leaning against him again and curling up in his lap. Her voice was small and insecure when she asked him to just hold her and despite his natural awkwardness with people, he easily wrapped his arms back around her and held her close.  
  
Kagome took comfort from his touch and sighed, "It still hasn't quite dawned on me yet, I can't imagine going home and not seeing her there, smiling at the door or in the kitchen. What am I going to do? How do I keep up this double life when Souta's going to need me there? And grandpa's getting older, he can't keep up with a kid his age."  
  
"Things will work out Kagome, you'll see," Inuyasha gave her a pat to her back and wondered what to say. "I was worried you know."  
  
That brought a small smile to her face, "Miroku told me and I'm sorry I had to seal the well, grandpa made me do it. He knew you'd go after me and drag me back and he needed my help, mom's gotten so weak recently and he's not all that strong either."  
  
"I understand now," Inuyasha thought back to his own childhood, and having watched his own mother dying from sickness. Unlike Kagome, he'd done it all on his own, none of the human or youkai physicians wanted to tend to the woman who'd born a half-breed son.  
  
When her small hands moved to cling to his haori, he tightened his hold and re-assured her, "You won't be alone in this Kagome, if you need us you know you can come back any time."  
  
"Thank you," Resting her tired eyes, Kagome lay her head on his shoulder and fell asleep once again.  
  
[Kami why this? Of all the people in the world, why Kagome's mom?] Looking down at the girl in his lap, Inuyasha realized just how difficult her life would be in the near future and silently vowed to help as best he could. [She'll have to tell the others soon, they'll figure out a way to help.]  
  
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"There! Just above its hip!"   
  
Kagome 'eeped' and jumped behind Kirara when the demon gave her a furious glare. Taking the opportunity while it was distracted, Inuyasha lashed out and managed to get a good hit to its side. Unfortunately the jewel shard was higher though, so it stayed in the demon while he ducked away from its attack.  
  
Seeing a good chance to get a shot in, Kagome stood from her kneeling position and grabbed an arrow, notching it on her bow and taking aim. [Wait for it... watch for Inuyasha too... NOW! ]  
  
Letting loose, the arrow sped towards the demon charged with her miko energy and to her surprise, hit it dead center in its back. With a howl, the demon burst into flames and dissapeared, the jewel shard falling to the ground to be caught easily by Inuyasha.  
  
"Wow Kagome that was great!" Shippo congratulated her happily.  
  
"Very good work indeed Kagome-sama," Miroku agreed heartily.  
  
Smiling her thanks, Kagome saw Inuyasha nod and beamed, "That's the fourth shard we've gotten in a week and a half!"  
  
Sango laughed, "Maybe we should let you go home for long periods more often Kagome-chan, you've been so focused these past few days. Inuyasha couldn't dare complain about lost time now."  
  
"Keh, shows what you know," Inuyasha muttered, looking towards the direction of the well. "We should head back tomorrow."  
  
"So soon?" Miroku frowned a little, confused by the hanyou's sudden interest in going back to Kaede's. It was completely unlike him to offer to return, especially when their hunting was going so well.  
  
"Kagome needs to go home in two days time, we'll barely be able to get back," Inuyasha sat below a tree and rested against it comfortably.  
  
"You're leaving again?" Shippo pouted.  
  
Kagome nodded sadly, "I have to go home, I'm needed there."  
  
Miroku and Sango shared a look, knowing their comrades were keeping something big from them if Inuyasha was willing to let her leave without a fight. "Forgive my intrusion Kagome-sama but is there something going on in your time that we should know of?"  
  
Kagome bit her lip, having known she'd have to explain but dreading it for some reason. Inuyasha did her the favor of explaining however, easing her worries a bit, "Her mother's ill, she needs Kagome to help with her brother now that he's on break from school."  
  
"I could go play with him!" Shippo offered, eager to see the world his surrogate mother came from.  
  
Kagome shook her head, "Gomen but that wouldn't be wise Shippo, my uncle Daisuke is with the family and he doesn't know about any of this."  
  
"Couldn't he help with your brother?" Sango asked  
  
"Mama gave me two weeks to come back," Kagome explained, "I have to go back to find out how her trip is going and how she's feeling."  
  
"We've agreed that she won't seal up the well," Inuyasha explained, "And I'll only go on an emergency basis."  
  
When his stomach growled suddenly, he broke the peace by ordering for dinner to be served, thus turning the group's focus on setting up for the night.  
  
Two days later they wished her luck and watched as Inuyasha led her to the well. Sitting at the edge, Kagome sighed and looked down at the grass beneath her feet.  
  
"I'll be there three days from now," Inuyasha crossed his arms and watched her nod, "We'll decide then how to go on with things."  
  
"Sounds fine with me," Kagome bit her lip for a moment before an idea came to mind, "I'll leave you some clothes from my time beside the well, in case you come in the daytime or uncle Dai wants to meet you."  
  
"Fine," Turning away, Inuyasha glanced back at her while she jumped in before sitting in his tree to sulk. Lifting tired eyes to the stars above, he sighed and shook his head. [Three days Kagome - the well had better not be sealed this time]  
  
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"Tadaima!"   
  
Kagome slipped off her shoes and dropped her backpack beside the kitchen door. Loud laughter could be heard from the living room and she heard unfamiliar voices there, which caused her to hurry over to see who was in her home.  
  
Sitting with a group of friends, Daisuke held a lady on his lap and was laughing at some joke they'd told when she popped her head into the living room. Realizing that they were all rather older and strangers, Kagome slipped away and up the stairs to her room. Moving to open the window by her bed, she jumped when her uncle entered and came over to greet her with a hug.  
  
"Welcome home Kagome! I was expecting you earlier," Kissing her temple, he pulled back and turned her in his arms, "Souta's at a friend's house and I took the opportunity to invite some friends over, but they brought extra guests along with them. You don't mind do you?"  
  
"Of course not uncle Dai, this is your home," Kagome smiled brightly.  
  
Daisuke grinned and turned to the bed, "I found a gift for you while you were gone, I hope you like it."  
  
Handing her a box, he watched her open it and smile despite her slightly unsure gaze as she pulled out the outfit. It was a red tank top shirt with a low-cut v-neck and the word 'playmate' on it in silver. Beneath that lay a black skirt, a bit shorter than her school ones (which were short enough) with a silver belt hanging from small loops at the hips.  
  
"I got it for you from California but I found it after you'd left," he saw her smile and waved away her polite thanks. "I'll only accept your thanks if you wear them tonight."  
  
"Tonight?" Kagome blinked, watching him nod and move over to the door, calling out to a lady who screamed his name up the stairs.  
  
"Be right there Mol!" Turning with a grin to his niece again, Daisuke shrugged, "I've got a bit of a handful downstairs so I figured you'd be able to help me entertain my guests. Alexei is here, he was looking forward to seeing you tonight."  
  
Kagome smiled, "Ok, give me a minute to change and I'll be right down."  
  
Ten minutes later, Kagome was heading down the stairs in her new skirt and shirt, blushing at the fact that the shirt was much smaller than she'd thought and came barely to mid-tummy and the skirt fell to well below her navel, exposing most of her stomach and back. Wearing her hair up in a twist with a bit of black eye-liner, mascara and red lip gloss, she saw Alexei exit the kitchen and smiled shyly.  
  
"Salve! Bella ninfa!" Alexei surprised her by coming over and planting a hearty kiss to her cheek.  
  
"Hello to you too," Kagome fought down a blush, "I believe that's what you said."  
  
"I was saying, hello beautiful nymph, that's to be my pet name for you," Alexei grinned, "You look stunning tonight cara... hmm... you know, I believe I prefer cara."  
  
"I'm not quite used to clothes like this actually," Kagome stood at the doorway of the living room with him and crossed her arms in front of her.  
  
Setting down his cup on a side table, Alexei tsked and shook his his head, "No, if you are to get used to such clothes, you must not cross your arms. A true nymph would have one on her hip and the other around a glass."  
  
"A glass?" Kagome placed her hand on her hip as directed and was surprised by his placing his cup in the other.  
  
"Don't worry, its just a brandy," Alexei glanced around and felt annoyed to see Daisuke's guest of honor, Stanley Judd, ogling the girl beside him. [Damn Daisuke and his pact with Hans]  
  
"Kagome come meet a friend of mine," Daisuke called out, waving her over.  
  
Excusing herself, Kagome did as told, feeling nervous under the scrutiny of the people in the room as she made her way over. Stopping next to her uncle, she was directly in front of an american man in his forties, with a slight belly and a wide, rather unnerving smile on his features.  
  
"Stanley I'd like to present to you my niece Kagome," Daisuke watched her bow politely and the man's eyes focus on the neckline of her shirt, "Dear, this is Stanley Judd, a friend visiting from the U.S."  
  
"Pleased to meet you Judd-san," Kagome bowed respectfully and was startled when his hand reached out and took a hold of hers, tugging it up to his lips.  
  
"She certainly is a looker Higurashi," Kagome recognized the lecherous look in his eyes and involuntarily shivered at his touch.   
  
One of the few women in the group stood and jokingly demanded a tour of the shrine from Daisuke, which he readily agreed to give. As the group stood and headed outside, Kagome moved to follow them and was surprised when her uncle asked her to stay and entertain Mr. Judd.  
  
"But he won't be going along on the tour?" Kagome asked, glancing back at the man joking with one of the ladies.  
  
"Didn't you notice the cane beside him? He was in a car accident and was left with a bad foot, he's lucky to have made it up the stairs," Daisuke explained.  
  
Alexei joined them and gave her a re-assuring grin, "Just smile and be polite cara mia, make sure to keep him drinking as well."  
  
"He needs to finish his glass," Daisuke agreed, "All of it, understood?"  
  
"Ready to go niños?" An elegant woman in a short black dress joined them, giving Kagome a small smile.  
  
"Of course Selene," nodding to his niece, Daisuke excused them from Judd and led the group outside.  
  
Swallowing thickly, Kagome turned to give her guest a smile, surprised to see him watching her closely. "Will you be in Japan for very long Judd-san?"  
  
"Call me Stanley pet, and no, I'm only here for the week and then its back to New York for me," he waved her over and patted the sofa beside him.  
  
Seeing no way to refuse without being rude, Kagome crossed the room and sat, again crossing her arms across her stomach, Alexei's glass forgotten on a table beside her. Seeing him frown a bit, she was about to ask what was the matter when he leaned over and cupped her chin, turning her face this way and that to see it from different angles.  
  
"You're really his niece?" Stanley asked softly.  
  
"Hai," Kagome nodded, fighting down panic at their proximity.  
  
Licking his lips, he released her chin to slide his hand down her neck, stopping in surprise when she lifted his glass to his mouth. "Thirsty?"  
  
"Quite," drinking it down in one gulp, he set the empty glass down behind her and used the opportunity to rest his hand on her lower back and kneed the muscles there. "So soft pet."  
  
Gasping in surprise, Kagome tried to pull away and was mortified that he simply held her in place and slid his hand up her shirt. Raising her hands to his shoulders to push him off, Kagome opened her mouth to scream for help when, to her horror, the man was suddenly crushing her down onto the sofa, his lips frantic over hers. With her legs off to the side and her arms pinned between them, Kagome was helpless and screamed, tears pouring from her eyes when the man's tongue touched the roof of her mouth.  
  
Just as she thought she'd faint from the terror, the arms that had been supporting him over her gave out, his body falling limply atop hers. Finally managing to turn her head away, Kagome lay panting and gagging when a large man came and lifted Judd off her. Blinking in surprise and gratitude, she watched him and another carry Judd's sturdy form out of the living room and out of her sight.  
  
[Who are these men? What are they doing in our shrine?]  
  
Moments later a familiar face appeared and Kagome let out a sob of relief, sitting up to cling to Alexei, who promptly pulled her into his arms and carried her up to her room. On the way, Kagome glanced over his shoulder and saw a young woman meet with the man who'd taken Judd off her and follow him down the hallway towards Daisuke's room.   
  
"Poveri innocente," Alexei sighed and held her close, sitting on her bed and gently rocking the horrified girl, "Calma dolce cara, calma..."  
  
"W-What are you saying?" Kagome whispered, sniffling and wiping her nose.  
  
"I said poor innocent and calm sweet dear, calm," Alexei gently kissed the top of her head and frowned when she shivered.  
  
"That man wanted to... he..." Kagome felt nausea roll over her and moaned, closing her eyes and lifting a hand to her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick."  
  
"Momento," rushing to the bathroom, Alexei lowered her beside the toilet and held her hair from her face while she gagged into the bowl. Once she was done, he helped her wash her face and rinse her mouth before gently lifting her again and taking her to her room.  
  
Leaving the light off so as not to be noticed, he tucked her into bed and watched her clutching the blankets around her. Feeling disgusted by the thought of the man who'd kissed her, Kagome closed her eyes and curled herself into a ball. She felt Alexei soothing her hair back and whimpered.  
  
"What is it cara?" Alexei whispered.  
  
"I want Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, wishing with all her might that the hanyou were there. "Did you know that man was a pig? How could he even think that..."  
  
"You'll grow accustomed to men soon enough," Daisuke intervened. "You did an excellent job tonight 'Gome, a very good job."  
  
Alexei and Kagome both looked up and watched him close the door behind him, explaining quickly "Sele took over entertaining everyone for a moment."  
  
"Who's with Judd now?" Alexei asked, still rubbing Kagome's back soothingly.   
  
"Miwa's taking care of him," Daisuke looked to his niece and felt a stab of guilt at the tear marks on her face. "I'm sorry for the shock Kagome, we'll talk about this tomorrow though."  
  
Kagome sniffled and nodded, "I-Is he leaving uncle Dai?"  
  
"Not yet, probably not until morning," Daisuke watched her shudder and frowned, "You won't see him when he goes, now I'm counting on you Alexei, to keep the other guests entertained while I see to Judd."  
  
"I can't go back down there," Kagome sat up, pulling the blanket up with her, "I couldn't unlce Dai, what if I do run into him?"  
  
Daisuke nodded, "You just get some rest now, we'll talk in the morning."  
  
Turning and exiting the room, he gave Alexei a pointed glance before going. Smiling at the girl as she lay back, Alexei shook his head sadly and tucked her into bed. "Get some sleep cara and try not to think on your unfortunate experience."  
  
"Arigato," Kagome smiled back gratefully, "Will you be here in the morning?"  
  
Alexei nodded, "Now go to sleep, I've got to get back downstairs."  
  
Heading to the door, he stopped halfway out and glanced back, surprised when she asked him to lock the door behind him, "I wouldn't worry about him coming upstairs ninfa, but its better to be safe than sorry correct?"  
  
"Hai," Yawning as the day's events caught up to her, Kagome watched him lock the door and sighed, forcing herself to ignore thinking of earlier like Alexei had advised. Having traveled almost all day to get home, she fell asleep quickly enough, her last waking thought of Inuyasha and his warm arms holding her that night she'd been attacked.  
  
[Thank Kami he wasn't here for this, he would have killed the man... but it would be nice to be held tightly against him again.]  
  
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See why the rating's gone up? Don't worry, things will be explained next chapter during breakfast. Thanks to everyone who's reivewd so far!  
  
Quick reply - Italia is the native way of saying Italy. Just like Spaniards say they are from España (spoken Espania) and in Spanish the country of France is called Francia. Italy is the English pronunciation of the country's name - Italians say Italia   
  
Ja matta! 


	6. Taikisha

Author's Notes: **This chapter is evil**,** pure evil and _not_ pretty**. Just thought I'd warn you.

**Kiddies - do not read.**   
  
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_-squeak-_  
  
Kagome winced, glaring at the door hinges for a second before poking her head out of her room. Listening for sounds from downstairs, she heard nothing that resembled Judd's voice. So far she could only hear uncle Dai and Alexei, and they were speaking English so fluently that she could hardly pick up on a word here and there.  
  
Stepping from her room, she headed downstairs, dressed in some sweats and a tank top that she'd grabbed after waking up in the skimpy outfit from the previous night. Reaching the ground floor, she headed to the kitchen and smiled at the view there. Making some eggs, pancakes and orange juice, Alexei and Dai laughed at some joke just then.  
  
"Morning!"  
  
"Cara! Good morning," Alexei smiled and motioned towards the table. "Take a seat."  
  
"This looks great," Kagome slipped into her normal place and smiled.   
  
Everything seemed so normal, it was like the night before hadn't happened. Only it had. Shivering at the memory, she forced thoughts of it into the back of her mind and concentrating on enjoying her breakfast. To her surprise, although smiling and seemingly up-beat, neither Alexei nor Daisuke spoke much during breakfast.  
  
Halfway through the meal, the doorbell rang and Daisuke got up to answer the door. Frowning in confusion, she looked to Alexei who smiled sadly and patted her hand, signaling for her to finish her breakfast. Once her plate was cleared, she was escorted into the living room by her uncle, who introduced her to a man named Asakura Shinji.  
  
"Nice to meet you Asakura-san," bowing politely, she was shocked to hear the man tsk.  
  
"Now that won't do at all," he reached forward and grabbed her wrists, lifted before her courteously, and yanked her towards him. His voice was normal but for some reason scary, sending a chill down her spine as he explained, "This is how you greet a man."  
  
And then he promptly crushed his lips to hers.  
  
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"How sick is Kagome-sama's mother Inuyasha?"  
  
Miroku watched the hanyou kicking his feet in the stream's water.   
  
"She hasn't got much time left," Inuyasha admitted, "Some disease from the future, nothing I've smelled before but she overheard her mother say she only had a few months left."  
  
"Poor Kagome," Sango sighed, petting Kirara's back.  
  
"Woohoo! This water's great!"  
  
Shippo scrambled out, ran over to a nearby rock and did a dive off it.   
  
The others watched his antics with a smile, even Inuyasha mustered a smirk, his mind still far away, with the girl across the well.  
  
"She'll be all right Inuyasha, the good thing is that her family has joined together to help. Didn't she say her uncle was staying with them? Perhaps he could gradually be told of her secret so that she may come back to the quest later. It is perfectly understandable for her to need time at home right now."  
  
"Feh, yeah, I'm not mad 'cause she left," Inuyasha agreed.  
  
"What's the matter then?" Sango turned her head to see him better.  
  
"The well," Inuyasha shrugged, "I'm still not sure..."  
  
"That she won't seal it," Miroku finished for him, "You must trust Kagome-sama's word, she will not keep you away, she'll probably need you now more than ever."  
  
"Feh," Inuyasha nodded, mumbling to himself, "That's what I'm afraid of."  
  
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"Kagome!"  
  
Souta ran over and hugged his sister, "I've missed you!"  
  
"Hey brat, I've missed you too," Kagome kneeled and held him close.  
  
While he told her of all the things he'd done when she was gone, Kagome leaned against the shrine steps and sighed, going over the events of that morning. It was shocking, not only that, disgusting and terrifying, what they were making her do. She'd kissed that man countless times, even after she'd lost her breakfast from the nasty cologne he wore. She'd brushed her teeth, and been ordered to do it again.  
  
She shuddered, thinking of the girl, Miwa, that they'd presented her to. They were the same height, but Miwa was older, ten years older, and would be handling the harder part of the job.  
  
"Everything ok?" Souta asked, realizing she wasn't listening.  
  
"Hai, uncle Dai's got a girlfriend," Kagome muttered, "Name's Miwa, real nice."  
  
"Ohh... and how's Inuyasha?" Souta teased, "Did he kiss you and promise to never let you go?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Kagome shuddered again, thinking of the men who had kissed her. Taking a deep, calming breath, she sighed, "No, Inuyasha wouldn't do that, he's in love with Kikyo."  
  
"He can't be in love with a dead woman," Souta shook his head, "He'll come around. I mean he's a hanyou, not an idiot."  
  
"You think?" Kagome smiled at her little brother, kissing the top of his head.  
  
Instead of commenting negatively as he would have done before, he leaned back against her and smiled. "I talked to Mama on tuesday, she says she's feeling better, the treatment's helping."  
  
"That's great," Kagome felt tears sting her eyes but blinked them back, "What else did she say?"  
  
"That L.A. is just as noisy as Tokyo, but the subway system is much smaller and men don't grope you on it." Souta and Kagome both giggled.  
  
"And that she's already bought us each a souvenir and that uncle Dai's friends are really nice," Souta yawned. "We went to sleep at five in the morning today."  
  
"You need a nap then," Kagome nudged him to stand and grabbed his bag, "Come on."  
  
"So uncle's got a girlfriend, think she'll be around much?" Souta dragged a bit, sleepiness catching up to him.  
  
"Oh she'll be around," Kagome muttered, "She'll be around quite a lot actually."  
  
Reaching the top of the stairs, they reached the house, slipped off their shoes, and dropped his bag beside the door. "I'm taking a nap ok?"  
  
"Sure thing," Kagome was heading into the living room when Shinji and Dai came out.  
  
"Souta! Guess what man?" Daisuke cheered.  
  
"What?"  
  
Dai grinned, "You know that camp you wanted to go to, but couldn't because it was all booked?"  
  
"Yeah..." Souta's eyes widened in anticipation. "The really cool one that's over in Yokohama?"  
  
"Hai, that one, I pulled some strings and got you a place! You can go tomorrow!"  
  
"No WAY!" Souta's energy got a momentary boost as he cheered, yelled, and skipped around the house, finally giving both Dai and Kagome big hugs. "This is so awesome uncle Dai, you're the best!"  
  
[No he's not!]   
  
Kagome wanted to scream, she wanted to kick them man out and his friends with him. He was a bad man, a very, very bad man and now she'd be all alone with him.  
  
"For how long will he be there?" She asked, glad her voice stayed neutral.  
  
"There's still a month and a half left, if your mom's treatments do get pushed back a little you could stay until its over," Dai shrugged, "Or you can come whenever you like, just call."  
  
"Sounds great!" Souta beamed, clapped his hands and rushed up to his room. "I've got to get my stuff!"  
  
Daisuke yelled at his retreating back, "I can't take you but Alexei can, is that ok?"  
  
"As long as I get there!" Souta slammed his door shut.  
  
"Ready for the next lesson?" Shinji cut into Kagome's thoughts just then.  
  
"N-Yes," Kagome saw her uncle's frown and nodded, a thick lump forming in her throat, "Yeah, what's next?"  
  
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"NO! No! Stop it!"  
  
Kagome struggled against the hands holding her down, "Don't! I can't!"  
  
"Stop screaming Kagome!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Shut up girl!"  
  
"Screw you!"  
  
_-slap-_  
  
"Hey!" Alexei's angry voice brought the others up. "How dare you? Get your hands off her Asakura! Get the fuck out! Both of you!"  
  
"She has to..."  
  
"Look at her Daisuke, she's terrified and you didn't tell her why this is happening, she's just a seventeen year old kid. Damnit she's your niece!" Alexei marched over and ordered them out. "Go check on Souta, last I saw he was sleeping with his headphones on but if he heard this, the whole plan will be ruined."  
  
"Will you calm her down?" Daisuke asked, shaking his head at the girl.  
  
"Get out!"  
  
Once the door was shut behind them, Alexei turned to the half-dressed, terrified girl before him and sighed. "Poor little Kagome, you shouldn't be involved in this."  
  
"What is this? Why is he making me do this?" Kagome's hands trembled as she fumbled with the buttons on her shirt.  
  
"Let me help," Gently moving her hands away, Alexei closed her shirt for her and checked her face. "He controlled himself, this won't leave a bruise, but you have to be careful Kagome, he's not the type of man who'll take being insulted easily and he's here to keep us in line."  
  
"Why?" Kagome asked, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her to an old sofa at the back of the room where they could sit. "What's going on?"  
  
"Daisuke didn't tell you much this morning, at least, he didn't explain very well," Alexei cleared his throat and started.  
  
"Taikisha is a large business, international, with a very powerful, very rich family at the head. As you know, your uncle Dai was hired by them five years ago and sent to L.A. to handle the financial affairs for one of the smaller offices there. About six months ago, the company owner's grandson, a guy about our age, went to L.A. and became friends with Dai. Since he was on vacation, this guy invited your uncle to join him and they went off to Las Vegas for a weekend."  
  
Kagome nodded, waiting for him to continue.  
  
"Now the day before they were supposed to leave, a large sum came into Dai's care, being the financial director of that branch and all. But Dai, seeing how he was going to Vegas with a rich, important man, decided to 'borrow' some of that cash."  
  
"Oh no," Kagome's eyes widened in understanding, "He has to pay them back."  
  
"Yes, but not in a monetary way," Alexei explained, "He lost a huge sum and got caught, so they sent him back to Japan to work as a spy."  
  
"A spy?" Kagome gaped, "My uncle's a spy?"  
  
"Sort of," Alexei nodded, "You see, there's been rumors that Kenriju, Taikisha's biggest rival in the business world, is having trouble with their current leadership. There are three candidates for the top spot and one of them is willing to sell out a good part of the company to Taikisha, if he's given a good compensation for it of course, which he will be. So Daisuke was told to dig up as much dirt as he could on the other two men."  
  
"How?"  
  
"It didn't matter what methods he used, not to the company," Alexei sighed, "But you see, the guy Daisuke thought he'd made friends with saw your picture, and to make things worse, suggested the current scenario that we are in."  
  
"What about you? Why are you involved?" Kagome asked quietly.  
  
"Because I too, am a spy," Alexei shrugged, "I answer to Taikisha Hotohori, the company founder and grandfather to Wufei, Daisuke's 'so-called-friend' and he saw your picture as well."  
  
Kagome gulped, "D-Did he?"  
  
"Hai, and he does not want you harmed," Alexei patted her hand, "So Daisuke was told that I also needed to redeem myself to the family by helping, but I am actually here to make sure you are not hurt in these endeavors."  
  
"So I have to..?"  
  
"Seduce the men, be charming, gracious, flirty, and get them to drink or take whatever we tell you," Alexei shrugged, "Once they are taken care of by Miwa, your job is done."  
  
"Miwa, what about her?" Kagome couldn't help but ask.  
  
"Be glad she's here little one, she's the one who'll be doing the real dirty work," Alexei frowned, "But you'll learn about that soon enough. She too, works for us, but she's always had the same job."  
  
"Do I have to let them grope me?" Kagome asked quietly.  
  
"If that's what's needed for the man to cooperate, I'm afraid so, yes," Alexei felt her shudder beside him and wrapped an arm about her shoulder. "Don't worry, it shouldn't take long, only four or five parties, max."  
  
"I don't want to do this," Kagome whispered, "Can't you do anything to help?"  
  
"I have to do as told cara," with a sigh, Alexei hesitated a moment before explaining one last fact. "Hotohori-sama would not harm your family, but he is no longer head of the company, his son took over a few years ago and Nakago is a very forceful man Kagome. He will do anything to get what he wants."  
  
"Is uncle Daisuke in danger?" Kagome asked quietly  
  
"Not only Daisuke I'm afraid," Alexei closed his eyes for a second and shook his head before looking at her again. "Your mother is sick ne-?"  
  
"Yeah," Kagome nodded, a vice-like grip settling over her stomach in dread, "Why?"  
  
"Her treatments are very expensive, too expensive for Daisuke to pay," Alexei admitted, "If Nakago doesn't get what he needs, he will take away all of Daisuke's monetary holdings, and keep anyone who might help him at bay, as punishment."  
  
"Oh no," Kagome lowered her head into her hands. "So if we don't do this fast Mama will have to come home and stop the treatment."  
  
"I'm afraid so," Alexei rubbed her back soothingly, understanding only too well the pressure the girl suddenly found herself under.  
  
Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Alexei released her and stood. Shinji opened the door without knocking, glaring at the man there, "Message for you at the door, Daisuke took the kid out for ice cream."  
  
"Thanks," glancing over his shoulder at Kagome, Alexei gave her a wink and a soft smile before leaving.  
  
"Well, shall we continue?"  
  
Kagome glared as he shut the door, "I get it now, I'll behave."  
  
"Good, because Daisuke just got invited to another party tonight, and guess who gets to tag along?" Shinji's eyes sparkled wickedly.  
  
"Like I need to guess," Kagome sighed, forcing herself to stay where she was while he came over, fighting down the urge to cower before the man looming over her.  
  
"Very good, most men don't like frightened little girls," Shinji gave a cold smirk. "Now what do you do if a man tries this?"  
  
The sound of cloth tearing sounded through the room and Kagome bit her cheek from flinching, hands trembling while she prayed for help.  
  
[Kami please, please let this end soon!]  
  
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"Remember, be nice, slip the powder in his drink and get him to come out with you," Daisuke mumbled into Kagome's ear, slipping a hand into the back of her skirt and leaving a card there. "That's the room key, it's the one two doors down the hall on your left. Get him there not long after he's taken the drink."  
  
"Fine," Kagome knocked on the hotel room door and was surprised when it opened immediately.  
  
"Higurashi! How are ya?"  
  
A half-drunk man greeted him eagerly, mouth dropping at the girl beside him. "Who's the babe?"  
  
"No one you'll remember tomorrow by the smell of ya," Daisuke joked, "How many have you had so far Tasuki?"  
  
"Ah, not so many as to forget a bod like that!"  
  
Forcing a cool smile to her lips, Kagome fought back the terror rushing through her as her uncle pushed her into the room ahead of him. There were a lot of businessmen like before, but this time they were not just talking and joking. Couples made out around the room, almost like a teen party, only much heavier activities were obviously taking place here.  
  
Tripping over a girl's discarded shoe, Kagome stumbled, crashed into a man and immediately apologized. "Sumimasen!"  
  
There was a low chuckle and the arms that had caught her pulled her closer, "Like I mind catching a doll like you? You can fall over me any time babe."  
  
"Enishi! Just the man I was looking forward to talking to," Daisuke's eyes met Kagome's, signaling the man as her target. "I see you've met my newest pet?"  
  
"Indeed, and what's your name kitten?" Enishi still held her close, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that she was there with Daisuke.  
  
"Kagome," she answered, fighting down the panic threatening to send her running from the room. It sounded easy enough, to seduce a man, spike his drink and take him out of the room, but at the moment it seemed impossible.  
  
This man was nowhere near disgusting, like the previous one had been, he all but reeked of sexuality. Tall, broad shouldered with fair skin and aqua colored eyes, he had a dimple in his chin and large, strong hands, which were currently very low on her hips. Fingers splayed widely, he was practically groping her, just an inch more and he'd be as bad as Miroku.   
  
"How about a drink kitty?" He glanced at Dai, "You don't mind my stealing her do you?"  
  
"Go ahead, I'm looking forward to a visit with Sele to be honest, she here yet?" Daisuke glanced around for the woman Kagome recognized from his party the night before.  
  
"Balcony," Enishi pointed and led Kagome towards the mini bar.  
  
"So gorgeous, you new to these parties?" He leered, staring down the bandanna tied over her breasts.   
  
It was exceedingly daring, Shinji had folded it into a triangle, rolled it a little and tied it over her breasts, pushing it down to nearly the tips of them. Her back was completely bare, she had to go bra-less, and she wore another tight little skirt, this one red, to set off the black bandanna. She wore shiny heels and her hair up in a clip, a few curled strands falling loosely over her shoulders. No one would guess she was barely seventeen. She could easily pass for a woman of twenty-five.  
  
After grabbing a couple of beers, they headed over to a corner of the room where they could talk.  
  
"I haven't been to these before, no," Kagome shrugged, "You?"  
  
"Host them all the time," Enishi took a sip of his beer and stepped closer, caging her between the wall and his body.  
  
"Do you work with all these people then?" Kagome took his beer from his hand and pointed out the others behind him. "That guy over there was hitting on me earlier, he's staring now."  
  
"What guy?" Turning, Enishi called out to Tasuki.  
  
Taking the chance while he was distracted, Kagome unclipped the ring Shinji gave her and dropped the powder into it. Closing the ring just in time, she smiled, shaking the bottle a little when Enishi turned.  
  
"No no kitty, you don't need to mix beer," He took it from her and was about to lift it to his lips when Kagome smiled wickedly, sending a rush of blood straight to his groin.  
  
"How about if I do this?" Raising her own bottle, Kagome smacked it down on the top of his, causing the beer to rush up, about to spill.  
  
Enishi's eyes widened but he quickly put his lips to the top and chugged down the foam and then the whole beer in one long swig. Laughing and wiping off his lips, he glared at her and grabbing her hand, did the same to hers.  
  
"Bottoms up babe!"  
  
With a gasp, Kagome lifted the beer to her lips but wasn't fast enough and a stream of foam landed on her chin and chest, dripping down to her shirt. Drinking as much as she could, she struggled not to gag with the nasty flavor and stopped once the beer had settled enough to not spill.  
  
"Hey! I don't drink much beer buster, that wasn't nice," Kagome looked down at her foamy breasts and sighed, "Great, now I need a towel."  
  
"Oh, I don't think so," He grinned, lowered his head and licked the drop of foam off her chin. She heard a thump on the carpeted floor and realized he'd dropped his empty bottle.  
  
Smirking at her sharp intake of breath, he continued on his way down, licking at the foam on her chest, his hands holding her hips tightly, lower body pressing against hers. Finding her too short for him, he lowered his hands, gripped her butt, and lifted her off the ground.  
  
Kagome gasped, her hands coming up to grip his arms, dropping her own beer while her feet settled against the wall for some type of hold. With his body crushing hers into the wall, she felt him grinding into her and felt she'd panic for a second before his voice reached her again.  
  
"We've got to get out of here," His husky timbre sent a shiver down her spine.  
  
Before she could reply, he was crushing his lips to hers, tongue shoving its way into her mouth and roaming freely. From the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Daisuke heading out and knew she had to get him to the other room soon.  
  
Breaking off the kiss, she lifted her head and whispered breathlessly into his ear, "I have a key."  
  
"Lead the way," Sliding her down to the floor again, he kept and arm around her waist and followed her down the hall, smirking when she pulled the key from her skirt. "I like that."  
  
"Its handy," Kagome teased, struggling with the door, almost yelping when his hands cupped her beneath the bandanna. "None of that till we're inside."  
  
"Hmm... but they're so nice," Enishi squeezed, practically shoving her inside when the door opened.  
  
Slamming it shut behind them, he hardly gave her time to think before he had her off the ground again, holding her up with one arm at her back, the other pulling her leg around his waist. When she'd lifted them around him, he raised his hand and tugged at the bandanna. Getting the garment undone as he reached the bed, he crawled onto it, lay her down and removed the cloth.  
  
"I'm so damned hot," he whispered, "And sleepy."  
  
"Sleepy?" Kagome whispered, the hope in her voice hardly filtering in his mind.  
  
"Yeah," kissing along her chest, he'd only just settled his mouth over her breast when a shudder went through him and his body went slack over hers with a slight moan.  
  
"Oh kami," Struggling to get him off, Kagome allowed her emotions to take over again and had tears streaming down her cheeks, ruining her carefully done make up when Daisuke came over and helped removed the man's heavy body from hers.  
  
Scrambling off the bed, Kagome grabbed the bandanna, ran into the bathroom and with shaky hands, attempted to put it on again. Failing miserably in her attempts, she gave up and stepped back, walking into the wall and sliding down along it.  
  
Covering her mouth with both hands to stifle her sobs, she huddled in the corner of the bathroom, humiliated and terrified beyond anything she'd ever felt before. That's how her uncle found her moments later.   
  
Seeing her small body trembling on the ground brought tears to his own eyes, the guilt for what he'd had to force her into nearly overwhelmed Daisuke. Grabbing a towel, he gently wrapped it around her shoulders, smiling apologetically down at her when she gasped and raised her head. Helping her stand, he watched her wrap the towel around herself and shiver again. Draping his jacket over her shoulders, he led her to the doorway and had her stand before him.  
  
"You have to watch, you have to know what Miwa's doing to him because you'll be seeing him at parties again and he'll vaguely remember snippets of what happens." Daisuke whispered into her ear.  
  
[I don't want to watch!]  
  
Kagome closed her eyes, wishing she could cover her ears and block out the man's groaning, the dirty sounds of flesh on flesh, Miwa's cries and whispered words and later, the thumping of the headboard on the wall.  
  
[I wish Inuyasha _had_ grabbed me and forbidden me to come back! If he ever found out about this he'd _kill_ them! He'd lose control, transform into a full youkai, kill them all... and probably me too.]  
  
Finally the couple screamed in pleasure, Kagome opened her eyes to see Miwa leaning forward and placing kisses along Enishi's slack lips and resting her head above his heart.  
  
She remained there, whispering softly, her hand lifting a necklace around her neck to his chest and Kagome realized it had a microphone. She asked him silly questions at first, then work questions, and then started milking him for information about a certain co-worker.  
  
Overall the questioning took almost an hour, her lover lay passively on the bed, seeming in a stupor, probably too drugged up to realize what was going on. Once they had all the information they wanted, Daisuke nodded to Miwa, who smiled, touched the back of the necklace and lifted herself over the man again.  
  
Keeping him busy with a long kiss, she gave Kagome and Daisuke the opportunity to walk by and leave the room. Once out in the living room, Dai dropped some bills onto Miwa's dress, had Kagome write up a note for Enishi and finally led her out of the room, the last thing she heard was the man screaming her nickname.   
  
The ride home seemed endless, neither spoke. Once they'd arrived, Kagome rushed upstairs and into the bathroom, locking everyone out. It was late, but she needed a shower, she could smell his cologne on her. It had haunted her on the ride home.  
  
Turning on the hot water, she stepped into the shower, disregarding the heat, standing beneath the flowing water, remembering her mother's soft voice explaining how hot water helped clean better. The heat steadily grew, but she ignored it, grabbing up the soap and scrubbing diligently at the places he'd touched. Her hands trembled, she realized vaguely her skin hurt, the water burned, the soap slipped from her hands and fell on her foot, the pain breaking through the dullness that had settled over her.  
  
With a sob, she turned the cold water on, shut off the hot and sank down to the floor, huddling in the middle of the stall. Trembling, aching, nauseous, she sat with her eyes closed and fought back tears again. Resting her head on her knees, she forced herself to think of anything other than what she'd just experienced.  
  
Remembering the last time she'd huddled in the bathroom like this, her mind drifted back, way back, to a person she'd lost long ago. She went back to a house near the beach, to a room, sunny, warm, and a voice - a lullaby.  
  
Outside the bathroom Alexei and Daisuke sat beside the door, her soft, mournful voice reaching them despite the shower's noise. Alexei closed his eyes, also forcing away thoughts of her ordeal to focus on the sweet, nearly childish voice singing. Daisuke recognized the song, remembered the person who'd written it, and his guilt intensified as he remembered a promise made long ago.  
  
And now, how that cruelly promise had been broken.  
  
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-  
  
-  
  
_-dodges flying objects-_  
  
Ack, don't hate me! This is the one of the worst chapters (In terms on content) of the story, but it was crucial. I know the plot has turned dark and cruel. This is an angst fic, that in itself should warn you. So should the elevated rating and the warning at the beginning of the chapter.  
  
Next chapter, Inuyasha comes to the future. Will he find out about Kagome's uncle?  
  
Leave a review and tell me how evil I am, go ahead, I've learned to ignore flames however so if you're gonna b-tch me out, well, if you really feel you need to...  
  
Ja!


	7. No choice

Author's Notes: Hey look! I updated! Go me!  
  
(Of course the update is rather dark again - so there goes the 'Go me' cheer.)  
  
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"Hey guys!"  
  
Kagome's voice reached the group and they looked up, surprised to see her there again so soon. It had barely been two days since she'd gone back to her time, Inuyasha was supposed to be going the next day.  
  
Looking up in her direction, they immediately realized something was wrong. Kagome's smile was drawn, she looked tired and in pain. She was also not dressed in her regular manner. She wore some coarse-looking pants she'd called 'jeans' before and a long-sleeved shirt. For someone who knew they were having an unnaturally hot autumn, she was not dressed accordingly. She also had dark circles about her eyes, and winced a little when Shippo launched himself at her and crashed into her chest.  
  
"Kagome-sama, what a pleasant surprise to see you again so soon!" Miroku gave her a smile and offered some water to her.  
  
"Arigato, I'm ok," Kagome petted Shippo's head and pretended to be awed by his newest picture.  
  
"Its lovely Shippo," she smiled brightly. "That looks just like our group."  
  
"Do you think your mom would like it?" Shippo asked, "I drew it for you to give to her so she can know us all."  
  
Tears formed in her eyes at his words, but she kept up her smile and thanked him, giving him a kiss on the forehead as well. "I'm sure she'll love it sweetheart, I'll give it to her as soon as I can."  
  
"What brings you here so unexpectedly Kagome-chan?" Sango interrupted the moment, eager to find out what troubled her friend.  
  
"Nothing much, I was just bored and got the chance to come for a little while," Kagome shrugged, "I have to go back later, but with everyone gone for the day, I figured it couldn't hurt to come say hello."  
  
"I'm glad you're here Kagome, Inuyasha's been moody since you left," Shippo frowned, "I think he's worried about the well being sealed off again."  
  
Kagome sighed, "Where is Inuyasha?"  
  
"At the spring, he went to cool off for a bit, the weather's awful," Shippo yawned, "I went swimming yesterday!"  
  
"How fun!"  
  
Shippo sighed, curling up on her lap, "Yeah and I splashed Inuyasha and he got all mad and then he threw me really far in!"  
  
"He didn't!" Kagome smiled at her friends, seeing how the kit was already half asleep as he talked.  
  
"Hai, he tossed me way up and I landed in the middle of the lake... it was so fun..." Shippo gave on last yawn and closed his eyes, his breathing evening out in sleep.  
  
Picking him up carefully, Kagome moved over to the shade where Sango and Miroku sat. Since Sango sat calmly beside the monk, she flopped down on the other side of the houshi, leaning against the tree as they did. Sitting in amicable silence for a few minutes, the peace was shattered when Kagome gave a scream.  
  
To their surprise, she didn't slap the man as she tended to, but rather jumped away and shoved Shippo into his lap. Without another word, she turned away and would have run to the well had she not crashed into a large figure in her way. Screaming again when hands circled her waist, she closed her eyes and grit her teeth while she was shaken lightly.  
  
"Hey! What happened?"  
  
Inuyasha smelled the fear rolling off her and felt her trembling in his hands. When she shook her head and clung to his haori again, he held her close and looked up at the others. They were openly gaping at the couple, Shippo now awake and wide-eyed, watched Kagome's shuddering finally stop after a few minutes in Inuyasha's tight embrace.  
  
"Hey what happened? Are you ok?"  
  
"H-Hai," Kagome swallowed thickly and nodded, finally calming and letting go. "Gomen nasai, I-I had a..."  
  
"A...?"  
  
[I can't tell him about last night, he won't let me go back or he'll insist on coming with me!]  
  
"A bad dream!" Kagome blurted out, "I watched a movie where this girl was raped and I had a bad dream and Miroku's grope was like the one in the dream and..."  
  
"Curse you Miroku! What the heck were you thinking?!" Inuyasha glared at the ashen monk.  
  
He gulped audibly and apologized, "I had no idea Inuyasha, you can't blame a man for his curse can you?"  
  
"You lecher!" Sango knocked him over the back of his head, "As if she doesn't have enough to deal with at home! No! She has to come back and worry about groping sicko's like you too!"  
  
"Lechers..." Kagome giggled, "That's it! I'm cursed to be surrounded by lechers!"  
  
The others looked at the girl again, slightly worried by the tense undertone of the laugh, "Kagome are you sure you're ok?"  
  
"Just peachy Inuyasha," said girl sighed and stepped away from him, giving a small smile. "Thanks."  
  
"Feh," crossing his arms, he leaned against the edge of the well and looked her over. "What are you wearing those for? And why are you here so soon?"  
  
"You're not glad to see me?" Kagome asked.  
  
He shrugged, but a look flashed in his eyes, proving that wasn't it, "What's the matter at home? Have you heard from your mom?"  
  
"Hai, she's been gone for two and a half weeks now, she should be back in another month. They extended the treatment, it seems its going well," Kagome's voice wavered a bit, "She sounded a little stronger."  
  
"That's good," Inuyasha reminded her, noticing her downcast tone, "If it'll help then its good for her to stay away."  
  
"I know, I just worry," Kagome smiled at Shippo, who came over and hopped onto her shoulder, giving her a peck on the cheek.  
  
Hugging her round the neck, he rested his head beside hers, "We're always here for you if you need us Kagome."  
  
Nodding her head, she hugged him tight and kissed his cheek, "Hai, I know that, thank you for reminding me though."  
  
"I'm terribly sorry for frightening you Kagome-sama," Miroku apologized, hesitantly stepping up to her side, Sango coming over with him.  
  
"Its not your fault Miroku, I've just been really jumpy lately," Kagome looped her arm through his to show it was ok.  
  
Annoyed by her closeness to the monk, Inuyasha stepped away from the well and nudged her chin up, making her eyes meet his. "You haven't been sleeping."  
  
Kagome bit her lip and shrugged, "I told you, I've had nightmares."  
  
"You should rest now," Sango took her arm from Miroku's and led her back to the tree. "Its nice and fresh here, you could get a quick nap."  
  
Knowing she did need the sleep badly, Kagome nodded, looking to the guys, relieved to see Inuyasha coming over. Wordlessly he dropped to the ground, leaning against the bark of the tree next to the place where she stood. Kneeling down beside him, she pulled Shippo from her neck into her arms. Fiddling with her watch, she removed it and tossed it to Sango, asking her softly "Wake me when it beeps ok?"  
  
Then to the group's surprise, instead of lying on the grass, she leaned against Inuyasha, lifting his arm to drape it across her waist, her body against his side, head pillowed by his sholder. Although her back was mostly to him, she was still being held by the hanyou and the touch seemed to soothe her as she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.  
  
Ignoring the looks from the others, Inuyasha sighed, curled his arm around her bringing her body back into his, and lay his head over hers. Sango and Miroku shared a look as they watched the sleeping couple. Finally things in that relationship were progressing, even if it was caused by some terrible circumstances, it was good to see those two getting closer.  
  
It was nice to see Inuyasha being kind to the girl, she definitely needed it.  
  
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"Tadaima!"  
  
Kagome slipped off her shoes, gave a big yawn and stretched. It seemed no one was home, which was good because she could use some time to herself. Daisuke and Shinji had gone off to 'who-knew-where' and Souta had left that morning with Alexei for Yokohama. So he wouldn't be back for a while.  
  
Heading upstairs to change her shirt, she removed it once she'd entered her room and sighed, seeing herself in the mirror behind her door. She only had a few bruises, and they were covered for the most part by her bra. Enishi had focused on her breasts after all and left them pretty sore.  
  
Shuddering, remembering his hands and mouth on her, she whipped open the door and screamed when she crashed into someone. Rough hands caught her arms, shaking her while she was ordered to shut up.  
  
Not recognizing the voice, Kagome shook her head and screamed louder, vaguely knowing no one would hear outside the shrine but making the effort anyways. One of her arms was released when she kicked the man in the shin, only to come back with a vengeance, slapping her hard across the face.  
  
"Shut the hell up! Where's Daisuke?!"  
  
"I don't know!" Kagome continued to struggle, ignoring the throbbing in her cheek in her efforts to get out of the man's hold.  
  
"Kuso!"  
  
Roughly shoving the girl backwards, the man watched her lose her balance and fall to the ground, wincing as her elbows hit the carpet. She glared at him, despite the fear in her eyes, and he smirked, encouraged by her spirit.  
  
"My name is Wufei Taikisha, I am looking for Daisuke and Shinji," he announced arrogantly, "I take it you are Kagome?"  
  
"Hai," touching her cheek, she slowly moved backwards, standing and grabbing her pj shirt from the chair she'd left it in. Slipping it on quickly, she forced herself to stand still without shaking as he the man came over and lightly touched her arms.  
  
"You'll have bruises here," he touched the place where his fingers had dug into her skin moments before.  
  
Kagome shrugged, "I'll survive."  
  
He smirked, reaching up to her reddened cheek, a bruise already threatening there, "Where are the tapes from last night doll? I need them and I need them now."  
  
"I have no idea," Kagome answered truthfully, "They didn't tell me anything about tapes. I just had to get the men drugged up and to Miwa, that's all I've done."  
  
"Really?" An eyebrow raised at that, but anything else he might have said was cut off by voices from downstairs.  
  
"Kagome? Taikisha-san?"  
  
Daisuke came up to her room then, stopping in the doorway to his niece's room. He took in the situation at once, seeing the bruise on her cheek and the way her hands slid up to rub her darkening arms.  
  
"You came early, we expected you this evening," Daisuke informed the main before him.   
  
"As long as you have what I want," Wufei turned away from the girl to follow Daisuke downstairs.  
  
"Hai, Shinji and I went to transfer them onto one disk for you," Dai led him down to the room where Kagome had been 'trained' the day before, Shinji waited there and closed the door after them, leaving Kagome to guess about what they could be planning now.  
  
Shaking again, she grabbed her things and rushed to her mother's room and locked the door, using her mother's private bathroom instead of the one she shared with Souta. With two locked doors between the men and herself, she felt a bit safer, and she really needed another shower. Standing beneath the warm water, she rubbed her bruising arms and cheek, fighting down the tears that welled in her eyes.  
  
She was just stepping out of the room, dressed in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved tee shirt when she was stopped in the hallway.  
  
"He's pleased," Shinji informed her, giving her a cold smile, "Only found one flaw, and that can be easily fixed."  
  
"F-Fixed?" Kagome gulped, not liking the gleam in his eyes.  
  
"Oh don't worry, its nothing too painful," Grabbing her arm in the same place where Wufei had, he led her downstairs to the room again. The room grandpa had used to meditate and find peace of mind, which would forever haunt Kagome from now on.  
  
Reaching it, she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening in terror at the sight of needles, strange pliers, and a pair of stools, one with a pair of handcuffs on it.  
  
"Oh kami no! I hate needles!"  
  
Kagome struggled, only to be brought low by his crushing grip on her arm as he single-handedly brought her to her knees in pain. Biting back her cries, she glared at him through her tears when he shook his head at her and dragged her over to the stool.  
  
"Don't worry Kagome, its not as bad as you're thinking," Wufei leaned against the wall across the room, Daisuke standing beside him, eyes closed and turned away from the scene.  
  
Meeting her furious and terrified gaze, he smirked and gave her a wink, "You might even thank me some day."  
  
Knowing how loud she could scream from earlier, he came forward, removed a handkerchief from his pocket and touched her arm, making her gasp so he could force it into her mouth. "Bite on that if it hurts."  
  
Nearly hiperventilating in her fear, Kagome was placed on the stool and pushed back, her hands cuffed to one of the legs of the table. She felt her shirt being lifted, a cool touch on her skin, and screamed despite the rag in her mouth at the touch of metal stabbing through her skin.  
  
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Kagome's voice was hoarse, her throat ached as she lay on the sofa, sipping a cup of warm tea. Her free hand rubbing her neck a moment, she lowered it to her stomach but gasped as it was slapped away by a rough hand.  
  
"Wufei just informed me earlier today of his plans," Daisuke sighed, "You'll be dropped by here at a designated hour afterwords."  
  
"Dropped off?! You mean you won't be there?" Kagome paled, shaking her head slowly, "No way."  
  
Shinji scoffed, moving away from her to rummage around in a trunk of clothes, "Its not like you have a choice brat."  
  
"No," Kagome sighed defeatedly, "I have no say whatsoever anymore."  
  
"Its really not that bad, you're just a wuss," Shinji shook his head, "Girls get belly rings all the time, they're sexy."  
  
Kagome sniffled, "I never wanted one."  
  
"Well too bad, now you've got it and its not coming out," Shinji found an outfit and held it up to Dai, "What do you think?"  
  
Glancing up, Kagome gulped and looked away, why bother giving her opinion when it wouldn't matter anyways. Biting back the tears that threatened in her eyes, she sipped her tea and forced her thoughts from focusing on the pain in her stomach, thinking instead of the warmth of Inuyasha's arms around her earlier.  
  
It had been so nice, waking up with the breeze floating by, his body beside hers, moving evenly in rhythm with his steady breathing. She'd woken up before her watch alarm and just lain there, watching her friends sleep as well. Shippo lay in her lap, snoring very softly. Miroku sat beside her, head resting over Sango's on his shoulder. They probably hadn't realized they were leaning on one another before they fell asleep.  
  
She wished she were there with them, that she could stay there until her uncle was finished and her mother was back. But that was impossible, he needed her help to gather the information, and her mother needed his contacts. If not for that, she would have left the man to pay for his sins on his own, after all, he'd allowed her to be dragged into his sordid affair. Would anyone blame her for leaving him on his own? After all that she'd been put through? After everything she was likely to see in the next few days?  
  
Not likely.  
  
Shaking away her angry thoughts, she was brought out of them by a soft touch on her stomach. Looking up she was both surprised and relieved to see the man frowning down at her. There was anger in his eyes, but not for her, no, he was glaring daggers at the man picking outfits out with Daisuke.  
  
"When did the order for this come?"  
  
Shinji shrugged, "Wufei paid us an early visit, he came to get the disks and saw her topless, he liked it but decided she needed some spice."  
  
"Bastard," Alexei turned and kneeled beside Kagome, speaking softly to her, "How do you like it cara?"  
  
"I hate it," she whispered, looking up at him hopelessly, "Shinji cuffed me to the table and forced it in. I hate needles and... Wufei gagged me."  
  
"Gomen nasai," cupping her cheek, he gave a smile, "At least you'll have tonight to rest and let the pain go away."  
  
"I'm going to a party," Kagome told him dully, "Wufei's coming to get me at nine."  
  
"Here we go, the black tube top, navy shorts, flip flops and your hair can go up in a loose bun," Shinji announced.  
  
"Shorts?" Alexei raised an eyebrow at that, seeing the relief in Kagome's eyes.  
  
"Its a casual gathering, no need to dress too nicely," Shinji shrugged, "I've been to Atsushi's parties, everyone goes in jeans and t-shirts."  
  
[Sounds great]  
  
Kagome sighed, reached out to touch her belly button again and winced when she was slapped. This time Shinji aimed not for her hand but for the aching part of her stomach. Jumping with a slight yelp, Kagome glared and sat up, throwing her tea in his face.  
  
"Jerk!"  
  
Before he could retaliate, Alexei yanked her off the sofa and into his arms, standing and moving away from them. "Since there is still time before the party, you should eat cara.  
  
"You can't watch her all the time Di Merrici!" Shinji glared, wiping the tea that dripped from his bangs.  
  
"She is a child Shinji, if you need to retaliate you will only be lowering yourself to her age level," Alexei smirked.  
  
So did Shinji, "A child doesn't have her breasts."  
  
Kagome gasped, covering the mentioned body parts and glaring at the man over Alexei's shoulder as he laughed. "Ignore him cara, you narrowly missed another meeting with his hand, and this time I'm certain it would have been his fist."  
  
"Gomen," Kagome whispered, "You warned me to be careful but I forgot, I just got so mad."  
  
"He isn't worth your anger," Alexei set her down on a stool and went about making her some pasta.  
  
Soon enough he had made a salad, some , and buttered some bread and added garlic and a touch of parmesan cheese, which he'd grated himself. Kagome watched him cook and laughed at his jokes, the time passing by rather pleasantly with just the two of them in the kitchen. He managed to keep her from thinking of her troubles, including the ring in her belly and its dull throbbing.  
  
She jumped when a hand smacked her bottom suddenly, a familiar dark laugh sounding in her ear, "Shouldn't let your guard down so easily brat."  
  
"Go away Shinji, we were having a perfectly good time before you came in and ruined it," Kagome glared, watching him take a seat at the table.  
  
"Actually its seven thirty brat, you have half an hour to eat and then you have to go up and change into the outfit set on out your bed." Shinji looked around the table for a drink and frowned. "No wine Alexei? I'm dissapointed."  
  
"As if I'd just leave it out for you and Daisuke to waste," Alexei opened the pantry and pulled out a bottle of .  
  
"For a light meal such as this, a white wine will do cara, its important to know what wine goes with what food."  
  
"Of course," Kagome agreed, moving over to the table, sitting down across from Shinji to keep him from being too close.  
  
Daisuke came in then, said nothing to any of them, merely sat and waited for Alexei to join them before serving himself dinner. They all ate quietly, not really wanting to argue or start up a conversation to break the tense air around them. Kagome found she liked the light wine much better than beer. She was still too young to be drinking but Alexei had insisted she have at least a little to start educating her palette.  
  
Eventually it was time for her to change and she headed upstairs to her room, dreading the thought of going to a party without her uncle. On her bad was the outfit they'd mentioned earlier, black tube top, navy shorts and a pair of black arm bands to cover the bruises. Removing her shirt first and changing into her black strapless bra, she had the tube top over her head and was unzipping her jeans when her door opened.  
  
"Good you're not done yet," Shinji had barely popped his head in a little, "Remove the undies too babe, those blue shorts are skin tight, they don't go with panties."  
  
Kagome gasped, "But I can't go without them!"  
  
"Sure you can," Shinji smirked, "Other sluts do it every day, makes their work easier."  
  
"ARGH!"  
  
Grabbing the first thing she could reach, Kagome picked up a snowglobe and threw it at him, watching it shatter when it hit the door. Staring in shock at the item on the ground wetting her carpet, she recognized it as the gift Daisuke had brought her from Disneyland and smirked. Stomping over to the door, she threw it open and stepped out of her room to see Shinji had reached the stairs and gone down a couple.  
  
Bending quickly, she grabbed a figure that had broken away from the globe's stand and threw it at him, glad to see it hit him on the back of the head. He whirled around immediately, was at the top of the stairs with one large stride and seconds later was at her door and reaching for her bruised arms.  
  
He shook her brutally while yelling, "You will NEVER throw anything at me again you little brat! No matter what Alexei might have told you, I'm the one who's been put in charge of this little group and I will not hesitate to teach you a lesson if I need to!"  
  
Alexei and Daisuke were in the room then, struggling to pull the man away. Kagome cried out, feeling her arms would break beneath his furious grip, landing with a grunt when he shoved her away and she crashed into her bedstand. Concentrating solely on the pain, she wrapped her arms around herself and curled up, berating herself for her temper and slumping in relief when he was dragged out of the room.  
  
He reminded her again about the shorts as they went out and she waited for the door to close behind them before she got up and finished changing, wearing them as instructed. Wincing with every movement of her arms, she stood before her mirror, saw the harsh bruises there and closed her eyes.  
  
[Its my own fault, Alexei warned me about him, he kept me from getting hurt earlier but I just couldn't learn could I?]  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
It was Daisuke knocking on her door, "You dressed already? Shinji's cooled off now and Miwa's here to do your make up."  
  
"Be right there!"  
  
Grabbing the small black bands left on the bed, she checked herself in the mirror again, cleaned herself up with some tissues and hurried downstairs, not wanting to anger Shinji anymore.  
  
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"Hey kiddo? Are you ok? You've been in there for hours."  
  
Inuyasha tensed, the male voice outside Kagome's door sounding new and unfamiliar. Frowning, he remembered her mentioning her uncle and guessed it must be him. Standing beside the door, he realized the man was knocking and guessed it was across the hall on the bathroom door.   
  
[Hours?]  
  
Alexei knocked again, she'd been locked in for so long now, but Shinji had gone out for the night and wasn't around. He was probably at Miwa's waiting for her return. Hearing the water finally shut off, he sighed and moved away from the door.  
  
When it opened a few minutes later, Kagome, wearing a pair of flannel pj's and a long-sleeve t-shirt, slowly stepped out and shuffled over to her room.  
  
"Hey are you..." He reached out a hand to cup her chin.  
  
"Please don't touch me," she whispered, her voice shaky.  
  
Alexei nodded, stepping back furthur, "I've arranged for you to have a couple of nights off, three to be exact."  
  
"Can I leave?" Kagome asked, "Spend the night at a friend's house?"  
  
"I don't know," he hesitated, swallowing when she finally raised her head and met his eyes.  
  
Where once her eyes had sparkled with joy and innocence, they now had the look of sorrow and wisdom, a dark wisdom, one she should never have acquired. Weighed down by his role in her education, he nodded silently, seeing the briefest sign of joy flash once again through her eyes. With a bow, she thanked him and turned away, entering her room and closing the door behind her.  
  
Keeping her head down once inside, Kagome threw the clothes and towels she'd held onto the floor by her desk and collapsed on her bed, curling up tightly on her side, her face buried into her pillow.  
  
In her distress, she'd failed to notice Inuyasha, who'd watched her silently, deeply troubled by the tone of her voice. What had happened? She'd seemed tired earlier but not afraid, and she'd definitely been afraid when her uncle spoke to her just now. Moving silently over to her side, he saw her rubbing her arms, massaging them and his frown deepened.  
  
Reaching out a hand to her shoulder, her head turned, mouth open to scream, but was cut off by his hand covering it quickly while he shushed her.  
  
"Its just me Kagome, don't freak out all right?"  
  
Removing his hand, he was surprised when she scooted back towards the wall, lifting her pillow between them. "Go away Inuyasha! Go back through the well!"  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, siting at the edge of her bed. "A pillow won't fend me off wench, unless it has a seal on it, which it doesn't."  
  
"Please Inuyasha, leave me alone," Kagome lowered the pillow, curling up around it and still not facing him.  
  
She was shaking, he could see it and feel the slight movement of the bed too. Worried, he reached out and winced as she visibly recoiled from his touch. Wondering at her sudden aversion towards him, he remembered her words earlier and frowned. She'd asked her uncle not to touch her, he'd barely caught the whispered words, but his enhanced hearing helped. She'd screamed when Miroku groped her, not that _that _wasn't a normal occurence, but her fear afterwords had definitely not been normal.   
  
Something was very, very wrong here.  
  
"What's going on Kagome? Since when don't you want to be touched?"  
  
Kagome shuddered, "I told you, I watched a movie and it was freaky."  
  
He huffed, "And you showered for hours in the middle of the night because...?"  
  
"Because I was dirty," Kagome sat up, leaning agaist the wall, head still down but not quite as much as before. At least he could see her neck, that was a good step.  
  
"You were dirty from...?"  
  
"Sweating," Kagome shrugged, "I had a nightmare and was tossing and turning earlier, I had to shower to get the sweat off."  
  
"Really?" Inuyasha crossed his legs and cupped his chin thoughtfully, his free arm draped across his chest. "That explains why your bed was perfectly made when I came in just moments before you entered the room? Why you also asked your uncle not to touch you outside in the hallway?"  
  
"My uncle?" Kagome's head lifted.  
  
From where he sat, he could have sworn she had a bruise on her right cheek, but the night added strange shadows sometimes, it might have been a trick. Nodding, he reminded her quietly. "The man knocking on the bathroom door a few minutes ago?"  
  
"Oh that's Alexei, he's not my uncle, he's a friend of the family," Kagome shrugged, "I watched the movie with him the other night. I told you I'm still freaked out so I was sleeping in my mom's room before I woke up and showered."  
  
[She's lying]  
  
He knew it, of course he could tell, Kagome was a terrible liar. Actually, she'd been a terrible liar, it almost seemed like she'd been practicing because she was getting better. But she couldn't fool him so easily, her scent gave her away. She was afraid, and uncertain, and in some kind of pain.  
  
Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw she was lying down now, back still pressed tightly against the wall. She hugged her pillow against her chest, using her right arm as a substitute for it. Eyes shut, she looked small, like a little girl, a lost little girl. He smelled her tears then, figuring it had to do with her mother's extended absence, he sighed and stretched out beside her on the bed.  
  
"Inuyasha you should go," she whispered, keeping her eyes shut, feeling the bed adjust to accomodate him. "If they give me permission I'll come back tomorrow ok? But please go now."  
  
Her voice cracked a little, a sound he found so disturbing he reached out to take her hand. "Why?"  
  
She jumped, would have pulled her hand away if he hadn't held it tightly and let out a shaky breath. "Please?"  
  
"No," tugging the pillow away, he reached out and slid an arm around her waist, ignoring her feeble attempts to struggle while pulling her over to his side. She gasped suddenly, one hand lowering to her stomach as she froze in his embrace.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, moving her hand out of the way.  
  
"Its..."  
  
She'd barely begun to explain when he'd lifted her shirt enough to see her belly. He sucked in a breath, staring in shock at the piece of metal with a shiny star at the bottom that was impaled through her skin. With a slight frown, he reached out a clawed finger and touched it, eliciting a gasp from her while he inspected the strange object. Her skin around it was hot and bled a little as he moved it about.  
  
"Its a belly ring," Kagome explained, "Lots of girls my age have them."  
  
"Why?" Inuyasha glanced up to her face, "Why stab yourself like this?"  
  
[Because I was held down and forced to do it?]  
  
"For fun," she shrugged, wincing when he moved it again, "I think its still tender."  
  
Inuyasha nodded, smelling a little more of her blood coming from it. To her surprise, he lowered his head and settled his mouth over it, his tongue carefully tracing over the bleeding area. The touch was shocking and yet soothing, her pain ebbing and leaving a very warm feeling in her belly.  
  
Lifting his head, Inuyasha lowered her shirt and moved back up beside her, smiling at her bemused expression, "I'm an Inu-hanyou remember? Ever notice how dogs lick their wounds? Its because they have healing properties in their saliva. Humans do too but not as many."  
  
"Oh"   
  
Hearing footsteps on the stairs then, she tensed, listening and wincing when she realized it was Shinji. He'd been given the guest room across the hall from Souta's. He slammed the door shut, muttering curses that brought a frown to Inuyasha's features. Relieved that he hadn't come over, Kagome slipped off the bed, quickly locked her bedroom door then came back to lie down beside Inuyasha.  
  
Wordlessly, she climbed over him, lay down and with a sigh, curled up against his side. Resting her head on his shoulder, she lightly held onto his haori again and relaxed a little. "I'm sorry for freaking out and acting weird Inuyasha, everything's become so hard."  
  
"Hai, I bet it has," Inuyasha also sighed, moving his arms to hold the girl close. "Its late Kagome, get some sleep now."  
  
"I don't want to," Kagome whispered brokenly, a few tears forming in her eyes, "I don't want to do any of it Inuyasha, I just want to help my mom."  
  
[I know how that feels Kagome]  
  
"But I have to... or she'll hurt more..."  
  
Melting against him, Kagome's mumbles died down, her heartbeat evened out in a steady rhythm. Holding her close, Inuyasha meant to stay awake and keep watch over her, being hanyou giving him the advantage of needing less sleep, but her body was so soft and warm. Her breath tickled his neck and her scent soothed him, surrounding him, and then he too was fast asleep.  
  
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Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews. I know this chapter was also quite cruel, like the last, and I promise to give the poor girl a bit of a break next time k-?  
  
Ja matta! 


	8. Tangled

Author's Notes: Hey I finally updated, and I know I said I'd be nicer but I changed my mind. I'm in an evil mood.

* * *

"No way, she can't just take off!" Shinji shook his head vehemently, "The sooner we get this done with, the better for all of us DiMerrici, don't forget that. I say she stays and she will, in fact, she has a lunch to attend today."

"No!" Kagome shook her head, "A lunch?! What's that mean?"

"It means you'll get all dolled up and go over to Enishi's place later today, around noon, he needs an escort to a business luncheon. Its the perfect opportunity." Shinji saw Alexei's features harden and knew the man understood how much information she could get for them by going.

If she were to sit in at a business lunch with the three men in line for Kenriju's top place, she could gather a wealth of information in one sitting. It was too good to be passed and even Kagome realized it.

"She'll have to have a little training with Miwa, she won't be able to take Kagome's place at the restaurant or in the limo." Shinji sighed, looking at his watch, already expecting the woman at any moment.

"She won't?!" Kagome paled, "Y-You can't expect me to..."

"Oh don't look so scared, you don't have to screw the guy, just help him out a bit," Shinji sneered.

"NO!" Kagome sank onto the sofa behind her, "I can't do that!"

"We'll figure something out," Alexei tried to calm her, cursing when his phone rang. "Moshi moshi."

Stepping out of the room, he left her with only Shinji, who was glaring down at the terrified girl. Daisuke had gone early in the morning to meet with Wufei and Kagome had barely managed to convince Inuyasha to go back to his time, promising to be there by midday.

"They'll be expecting me at my friend's house," Kagome argued.

"Call and cancel," Shinji gave a shrug and smiled when Miwa showed up just then. "Well look who's finally here."

"Hey! I had a rough night, ask the kid," Miwa huffed, giving Kagome a soft smile, "How you doin' babe?"

Kagome sighed, "Not so good."

Miwa nodded, "I know, listen, it's really not that bad."

"Damnit," Alexei appeared in the doorway just then, "It seems like some files are missing from my office, I have to go see what the problem is. Hey Miwa, watch the kid for me ok?"

"Sure," waving him off, the girl checked her watch and saw Shinji doing the same. "You have any idea what you'll dress her in?"

"Yes, there's an outfit I think she might like in my room," he shrugged, moving over to the sofa as Miwa motioned him to.

"Look Kagome, its really not so hard to deal with..."

* * *

"What the hell is this?"

Inuyasha roared, absolutely livid as he stood at the bottom of the well, a note left for him there. Grabbing it up, he scanned its contents, growled fiercely and jumped out in one foul swoop.

"Damn her!"

"Inuyasha?"

Shippo stared up at the hanyou in shock. Never had he seen him this angry, especially not at Kagome, despite their constant fights. No, now he looked like he'd shred her to pieces should he lay eyes on her.

"She did it again!"

Inuyasha, in his anger, grabbed up a nearby boulder and threw it over the opening of the well, leaving minimal space at the corners for sound or light to go in.

Sango and Miroku jumped at the sound and came running to see what had happened, staring in shock at the nearly covered well. "What is the meaning of this Inuyasha?"

"The bitch sealed me away again!"

Tossing them her note, he turned away, "Let her stay, she can deal with her problems on her own."

"And what if she returns?"

"I'll hear her," Inuyasha moved away from them all, heading up to the highest branches of the goshinboku.

Reading the note she'd left, Miroku frowned and looked to Sango's equally worried eyes. Something wasn't right with Kagome, and it wasn't just her mother, Inuyasha knew it but she wouldn't tell him earlier. She'd just begged him to come back and promised to come and explain later.

[I should have known...]

* * *

"Konnichi wa," Kagome bowed respectfully, glad that her skirt went down to her knees.

Shinji had been correct, she rather liked the off-white colored suit he'd brought, along with the pink shirt and pumps, it was very cute. Her purse was a small item which held only her lipstick, eye shadow, keys and wallet. She was prepared with a fake I.D. and everything, her make up done by Miwa to make her look older again.

Since some of the business men were foreigners, they were at an American restaurant, with the western style tables and chairs. Kagome promptly tucked her feet beneath her chair as she'd been taught and smiled pleasantly through the luncheon. Enishi introduced her as his girlfriend and she'd smiled at that. He'd been quite helpful the night before, goodness knew how much they could acquire in this meeting.

After ordering a light salad with a glass of white wine, she chatted with Enishi, laughing quietly as he leaned close and explained who was who. He'd add a remark or two about each person, a joke, but some of it she could tell held a bit of truth. She wore the necklace Miwa usually did, with the small microphone in the black stone.

The men chit-chatted and she found the man seated to her left, a young man named Sagara, was really very funny. Tall, broad-shouldered and with brown hair and eyes, he smiled and leaned over from his great height to joke with Enishi and his 'little missy'.

"So, Kagome was it?" Sagara waited for her to nod, "Where did you meet Enishi-no-baka, I'll have to make sure and drop by if there's ladies like you around."

"We met at a party," Kagome grinned at his calling Enishi a baka.

"We met at one of Sele's parties," Enishi corrected, knowing Sagara did not partake of such fun.

The man raised an eyebrow at that, not hesitating to speak his mind, "What would a classy dame like you be doing at one of those gatherings?"

"Playing the escort," Enishi answered for her, "She works as one you know."

Sagara's eyes darkened a little, "Indeed?"

"I-It's really not so bad," Kagome felt the man's disapproval hit almost like a physical blow, "Its just a temporary thing, I'm enrolled in Tokyo University but my family can't afford it."

"There are better ways to earn your money," Sagara insisted.

Kagome could only nod, feeling her throat tighten and her eyes sting. Their host, Seijuro Hiko stood then, calling the group's attention to him. While he gave a small speech on how good it was to get some time out of the office with them all, she was struggling to regain her poise and felt a hand take hold of hers. Glancing back over her shoulder, she felt a squeeze on it and was relieved to see Sagara smiling at her again. Obviously he'd realized how much she disliked her job and that his disapproval hurt.

Releasing her hand, he leaned back when the waiters appeared with their food and Seijuro finished his speech. Lunch was eaten over plenty of small talk, they shared some laughs, a few anecdotes, and finally when some ice cream was being brought out, they began talking business. Enishi had been flirting mildly while they ate, his hand resting on her knee and sliding up her skirt a bit. It took Kagome's best efforts to keep from stabbing her knife into the back of it, the way Inuyasha would have stabbed a youkai. But she couldn't do it, she had to play nice.

"As you have all heard, I will be retiring soon and there is some uncertainty about who is to take my place. We all know who the most likely people are so we don't really need to mention them, but I must say I am quite pleased with the potential each is showing. Seeing how well the company has been doing recently as I pull away more and more, I have decided to push things forward a bit and will be handing over the reigns sooner than expected."

The men and women looked shocked at the news since Seijuro had been loathe to retire at all. Enishi leaned back a little to whisper, "Megumi's doing."

Knowing Megumi was the man's wife, Kagome smiled a little, giving his hand a playful swat, relieved when he removed it from her leg.

"Therefore the pressure is up men, and I will be looking into each of your sectors much more closely over the next couple of days, by the end of the week I shall announce my decision." Hiko looked less than cheerful, but gave a nod and allowed for the spotlight to be taken off of him again.

Enishi draped an arm around her chair and leaned over to speak with Sagara, "So who are you betting on?"

"Me? I don't bet," Sagara took a spoonful of ice cream and shrugged.

"Very wise of you," Kagome smiled, taking a spoonful of her own ice cream.

Her 'boyfriend' gave a laugh, "Don't believe him kitten, Sagara once bet himself out of his very pants."

Sagara glared, "I didn't bet my pants, they spilled wine all over them. Red wine on white pants doesn't work very well, I was having them washed."

"In the middle of a work day? While you sat at your desk in your black silk boxers?" Enishi grinned.

Kagome swallowed, looking wide-eyed at the embarrased man beside her, "Black silk?"

Not expecting that question, Enishi gave a hoot of laughter, turning her head and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before remembering where they were and grinning at Sagara again.

"Gomen nasai Sagara-san, I was just surprised you'd wear black under white," Kagome blushed, realizing they'd caught the attention of some of the other people at the table, Seijuro included.

"They weren't thin white pants, you couldn't see through them," Sagara defended himself.

Before they could continue with their somewhat odd conversation, a voice was cleared and Seijuro's assistant made a few important announcements. Kagome listened vaguely, stifling a yawn as the boring business talk went on and on.

* * *

"What the hell's your problem? Hand it over already!"

Shinji reached up and unclasped the necklace brusquely, hurrying to the back room where he could listen to the recordings and save them. He hardly noticed the terrified girl losing her lunch upstairs while he worked. Kagome finally closed and flushed the toilet, laying her head down on the cover dejectedly.

A furious shout from downstairs brought her head up and suddenly she could hear him stomping back up. Before she could move, the door was thrown open and Shinji stood there demanding to know what she'd done.

"Do?" Kagome crawled back until she hit the tub, "I just went and had lunch with them! I sat there and smiled while they talked and that thing recorded!"

"It didn't record!" Shinji threw the microphone at her, hitting her in the arm that she lifted defensively. Grabbing her up by the waist, he lifted her high as if she weighed no more than a doll and gave her a good shake. "What did you do to the necklace? What did they talk about?"

The phone rang at that moment, just as she gave him a pathetic shrug, "I don't know! I listened half-heartedly, you didn't say I had to pay full attention, just to get it recorded - oww!"

Kagome cried out, crashing into the tub none-too gently. As he turned to go answer the phone, she gave a soft moan, banged her head back against the wall, and opened her eyes in time to look up and see a shampoo bottle just before it hit her left eye.

"ITAI!"

Scrambling out of the tub, Kagome held it while she made her way downstairs, reaching the bottom step just in time to see Alexei finally back after hours in the office.

"Cara!" Alexei rushed over, carefully helping her into the kitchen and easing her hand off her eye. "Did Shinji do this to you?!"

Kagome winced, touching her eye carefully, taking a moment to speak while he asked again. "Cara did that baka do this to you?"

"Do what to her?" Shinji entered with the phone in his hand, "Kami-sama, what happened to you?"

"Don't try to play it off Shinji! If you-"

"Your mother Kagome!" Shinji interrupted, thrusting the phone into the girl's hand, effectively stopping the man from continuing with his threat.

"Mama?!" Kagome's face lit up, causing another wince when her eye opened too wide. "Mom?!"

"Hello sweetheart!" Asami sounded cheerful as ever on the line, bringing tears to her daughter's eyes. "How are you honey? Having a good time with Dai?"

[Oh Mama if you only knew!]

Kagome bit back the answer she wanted to give, "Hai, uncle Dai and I have been having tons of fun..."

Twenty minutes and many lies later, Kagome was feeling slightly better, hearing her mother's treatments were going well. Hearing her yawn, she gave a laugh and sighed, "Of course Mama, you go take a nap now, aishiteru."

"Love you too baby," Asami sent her a kiss over the line before hanging up.

Setting the phone down on the counter, Kagome grabbed a bag of frozen peas to press onto her eye before heading upstairs. Entering her room, she was surprised to find a cd on her bed, picking it up and finding a small note attached. It was from Alexei, he'd heard her singing one of the songs earlier and bought it for her. With a small smile, she closed her door and put it into the radio on her dresser. Propping her pillows up against the corner of her bed, she lay quietly listening to the music.

At one point Shinji came up and gruffly told her she could have the night off and go to her friend's house if she wanted. Giving a soft thanks, she watched him close her bedroom door and sank back into the pillows. Earlier that day she would have jumped at the chance to leave, but now she didn't want to go anywhere. She didn't want to see anyone, or rather, she didn't want anyone to see her.

Staring at the mirror on her dresser, she gulped when she saw the picture of herself with Inuyasha she had there, the carefree expression on her features. And then her gaze lowered to the image of herself now, seeing the wan expression she now had, she ignored the music until a song's strange tune caught her attention. The lyrics seemed to fit her life perfectly, almost as if she had written them herself.

_I'm full of regret_

_For all the things I've done and said_

_And I don't know if it'll ever be ok to show_

_My face around here_

_Sometimes I wonder if I disappear_

_Would you ever turn your head and look_

_See if I'm gone_

_Cause I fear_

_There is nothing left to say to you_

_That you wanna hear_

_That you wanna know_

_I think I should go_

_The things I've done are way too shameful_

Closing her eyes and curling up around one of her pillows, she shuddered at the memories of her luncheon with Enishi. During the meal he'd kept his hand on her leg, going up her skirt every so often and she'd managed to nudge it away, but he'd gotten a few touches. The limo ride had lasted forever, he'd ordered the driver to go for a spin around the city and taken the time to have some fun with her.

Violent tremors ran through her body as she re-lived those moments. She could feel his hands still, rubbing, rolling, pinching, tickling, probing. His breath on her skin, the feel of his tongue in her mouth, moving down her neck.

[How can I go back and face Inuyasha and the others? After everything I've done, how would they react?]

Looking at the picture of all of them she'd taken once, she hardly noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks as she silently dreaded their discovering how low she'd sunk.

_You're just an innocent_

_A helpless victim of a spider's web_

_And I'm an insect_

_Going after anything that I can get_

_So you'd better turn your head and run_

_And don't look back_

_Cause I fear_

_There's nothing left to say to you_

_That you wanna hear_

_That you wanna know_

_I think I should go_

_The things I've done are way too shameful_

[Inuyasha, I promised I'd go back today, I left that note saying I'd be back to explain tonight, but I can't go! If you ever found out... I couldn't bear it if you knew... I'll never be the same again... I don't think I'll ever be clean again.]

_And I have done you so wrong_

_Treated you bad_

_Strung you along_

_Oh shame on myself _

_I don't know how I got so tangled_

__

_

* * *

_

__

"Feh, so?"

Inuyasha sat at the top of the well, waiting to hear what the old hag had to say. He'd cooled down and removed the boulder, brining the old miko to check out the spell again. She hadn't been able to unseal it last time, but Miroku said he sensed it was weaker this time.

Kaede nodded, "Miroku-sama is correct, the ward Kagome placed on it is much weaker, we should have little trouble breaking through it."

"You hear that? Get down there monk," Inuyasha snapped at Miroku, who was already climbing over the edge.

"But I still say Kagome-sama will be upset when you go through, she must have had good reason to seal it," Dodging a swipe of the hanyou's hand, Miroku jumped to the bottom, landing and taking a seat beside Kaede.

Inuyasha huffed, "Just do it ok?"

Kaede nodded, touching Miroku's shoulder, "If I didn't sense a deeply troubled aura I wouldn't do this Miroku-sama, but Kagome-chan is dealing with some serious troubles, can't you feel her distress?"

"Hai," Miroku admitted, "But Inuyasha is in no condition to go, he's about ready to beat someone into a pulp."

"He will calm once he knows what is going on," Kaede assured him, "Now let's get this seal removed."

The removal of the seal took a bit longer than expected, but finally they managed to get it done with. Before they could blink, Inuyasha was jumping into the well and being carried off by the familiar light. Rolling their eyes at his lack of thanks, they managed to climb out and settled down to wait.

"I hope Kagome-chan's ok," Sango murmured, resting her elbows on the edge of the wood.

Kaede nodded, "We all do."

* * *

"What the...?"

Inuyasha glanced out of the well house, changing into the clothes left there for him while he stared out into the shrine. Paper lights were strung over the yard and people crowded around here and there, some talking, some dancing, others laughing and drinking. The place reeked of alcohol, food, all kinds of perfumes and sweat.

Once dressed he carefully slipped out of the door, adjusting his hat that covered his ears and making his way through the crowd to Kagome's house. At the doorway of the kitchen, he stumbled and looked down to see a couple kissing heatedly, the guy's leg having unconsciously stretched and crossed his path.

[Since when does Kagome's family throw parties like this? None of these people are anywhere near her age!]

Entering the house, he shrank back a moment at the concentrated smells. The place reeked of booze, food, sweat, perfume, and the smell of sex was thrown in also. He ground his teeth together, fighting down the growl that threatened to escape at that particular smell. In the kitchen a couple was nearly going at it on the counter, others talking and making out nearby. Checking the living room, he fought down nausea at the headiness of the scent there. On both ends of the sofa, two pairs of legs hung over the side, and on the floor, coffee table, and chairs, other couples were equally busy.

Rushing out, he headed upstairs, going straight for Kagome's room. Surprised to find the door open, he wasn't surprised to find another two couples making use of the room and turned away to check the others. She wasn't anywhere to be found on the second floor and he hurried downstairs. The sights, sounds and especially smells were overwhelming and he was near-panicking, needing to get away from the disgusting scents.

Unable to pick up hers alone in the heady mix, he was about to go outside when he heard a familiar squeak. Moving over to where he'd heard it, he stepped into the room and scanned it, his body freezing when he finally found the girl he was searching for.

Lying on a table top, shirtless with only a skirt up around her hips, she lay moaning as a man kissed and fondled her. Shocked, Inuyasha shook his head, wanting to deny the sight, disbelief written plainly across his features. But the voice was definitely hers, although he'd never heard her moan quite like that. Ending the kiss, the man moved to nibble and lick down her neck and she arched her body into his, mewling and whimpering.

Suddenly a hand clamped down on his shoulder, "Hey kid who let you in?"

Eyes still locked on her form, Inuyasha watched her and her partner turn to see him and his eyes briefly locked with hers. She showed no signs of recognition, merely glanced at him with passion-glazed eyes for a second before turning back as the man over her returned to his minstrations.

Stunned by everything, the house, the guests, and especially her betrayal, Inuyasha turned away, running as fast as he could to the well, back to his time. Grabbing his clothes before he jumped in, he ripped off the items she'd left for him, tearing them to pieces in his rage. Putting on his familiar clothes, he cursed and continued tearing the others, taking his anger out on them.

Hearing Sango and Shippo calling out to him, he leapt out of the well and growled, grabbing Miroku and Kaede. Jumping back in, he stood at the bottom and released them, "Seal it!"

The fire in his eyes made them both shrink back, shocked by the rage in his voice and aura. Miroku managed to speak, asking what had happened. Inuyasha growled, "It doesn't matter, you were right ok, the damned wench sealed it for a reason and you don't want to know what it was. Just seal the damn thing so she can't come back!"

"What?!" Sango leapt down, "You can't mean forever! Inuyasha we need her she's..."

His arm reached out and grabbed her by the front of her kimono, dragging her close, "She's a betraying little bitch and I won't have her back. We don't need her."

"Yes we do, she's..." Shippo shut up when the hanyou's eyes turned to glare at him. The anger there was so fierce, his eyes were acquiring a reddish hue and they knew he needed to be calmed down soon.

Sinking to the ground, Kaede and Miroku shared one troubled glance before concentrating on sealing the well once again, this time to keep Kagome safe. God knew what Inuyasha had seen, but whatever it was had been enough to nearly send him over the edge and into his youkai form. If Kagome ever came back, who knew how he'd react.

* * *

Sorry, I told you I was in an evil mood. The next chapter won't take long to post and is quite dark too, in a different sense. It is definitely the turning point of this story, I have it written up already, I'm just editing and making sure I'm ok with it.

More angst coming up folks, leading up to the conclusion, which isn't that far away. Around 2-3 chapters more I would guess, maybe more, maybe not. We'll see. I know those of you who read 'Talking in His Sleep' must think I'm trying to finish off all my stories, and you're right. Its better for readers this way, with more school work come less updates, so I would rather finish now than leave you hanging like I have with some of my other stories.

Enough chatter already, click the button and let me know what you think, thanks guys!

See ya!


	9. Victim

Hey look, it took me less than three months to update again! (J/K)

Watch out, much evilness to come.

(- Thoughts -)

* * *

"Drink this, it'll help with your hangover," Alexei handed over a glass of some foul-smelling concoction.

Scrunching up her nose, Kagome raised her head just enough to gulp it down quickly and fought down the urge to gag. Curling up into her bed, she bit back a moan and allowed tears to slip from her eyes at the soreness all over her body. The night before had been their last chance, Hiko would be meeting with his board members and making his final decision today. There was nothing left to do but wait and hope the man Taikisha wanted to be selected was named his successor. She dreaded to think what may happen otherwise. Seeing how it was their last opportunity to get information and plant certain tidbits here and there, Shinji, Daisuke and Wufei had organized a grand party at the shrine.

Kagome could only wonder what had happened the night before, everything seemed vague and distorted. For a while she thought she'd even seen Inuyasha, if it weren't for her seal on the well, she would be worried. Something was wrong though, her body was not only sore, random shocks coursed through her system, she was sweating profusely and shaking badly.

"What's wrong with me?" Kagome asked Alexei, who was equally troubled by her status.

Shinji answered for them both, "Your body's just in need of more drugs."

"Drugs!" Kagome's mind spun, her world tilting precariously, "W-What drugs?"

"The ones we had to put in your drink," Shinji leaned against the wall, "We needed you to stop being scared and do your job. Just a small hit was enough, but they usually make a person want more. You certainly reacted well last night, all your customers were left quite pleased."

"C-customers?" Kagome whispered, "Did... Did they...?"

At his shrug, she sat up in bed, shaking her head frantically even though she could feel the evidence of the truth behind his words. "N-No! You promised! Alexei! No! NO!"

"We had an arrangement Shinji!" Alexei grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, "Hotohori-sama himself ordered her not to be defiled!"

"And Nakago-sama overruled that order, he's in charge now and if she had to give that up for the company to get what it wants, who was he to care? OOF!"

Shinji went down as Alexei's fist connected with his stomach, but he didn't say there. Taking advantage of his position on the ground, he shoved up and slammed his shoulder into Alexei's ribs, ramming the man back into the desk. A full-blown brawl was begun, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, furniture crashing, grunts and a scream brought Daisuke upstairs.

Yanking Alexei off Shinji, he struggled to hold them back and bring them to their senses. It took a few extra shoves and punches but they finally calmed enough to storm out of the room and the house, leaving in opposite directions. Scared, in pain, and overcome by everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours, Kagome cried into her uncle's chest when he tried to soothe her before punching and struggling against him.

"This is all your fault! If you hadn't been so stupid none of this would have happened!"

"I know that! Calm down Kagome!" Daisuke grabbed her wrists, holding them tightly while she kept screaming.

"I hate you! I hate you... I... I..."

"You'll be rid of me soon!" Daisuke shouted, catching her attention. "The word's out Kagome! The official announcement hasn't been given but its already been accepted that Shinomori's taking over!"

"Shinomori?" Kagome whispered, wide eyes staring in disbelief at him, "I thought Taikisha wanted Shishio?"

"Taikisha did want Shishio, we lost," he sighed, releasing her hands since she showed no more signs of struggle. "We lost Kagome, all this was useless, I'll be gone soon. Shinomori's too honorable to do anything that Shishio might have done, he'll probably clean up the company of some of useless guys working there, including all of Taikisha's bugs. He's known who was working with us for some time now, it won't be surprising if he gets rid of them. So anyway, don't worry about me anymore, I'll be gone soon too."

"Gone? Where?" Gulping thickly, she grabbed onto his arm, "What about mama? What's going to happen to her?"

Her uncle shook his head, "Her treatment's over, she'll be getting the news today, they'll probably make something up and advise her to come home."

"But things were going well!" Kagome insisted, "She said she was feeling better! That they were helping! Without them what'll happen?"

"Either way she was going to die," he reminded her, "It'll just happen sooner now."

"Noo..."

Dai touched her hair, "I'm so sorry sweetheart."

"Don't call me that!" Slapping away his hand, she glared, "How dare you? After everything you've put me through! I was innocent before all this happened! I'd never even been kissed!"

"What about your boyfriend?" Dai asked in surprise.

Kagome scoffed, "Inuyasha isn't my boyfriend! He only seems me as a- a tool! He only wants me there because I can see the shards! He's in love with Kikyo, even though I'm in love with him!"

"I'm so sorry Kagome."

"Sorry doesn't make things go away!" she screamed, "Sorry won't get my first kiss back or make me forget everything I was forced to learn! It won't erase the memories of the hands on my chest, my wrists or..."

"Stop!" Grabbing her arms, he gave her a shake, "Stop it!"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Why? Does it bother you? I've wondered about that this whole time. What kind of man stands by and watches his niece get used over and over, handing her over to pay for his own debt! What kind of a weak coward lets a girl get rap..."

"Shut up!" Losing control, he slapped her across her cheek, releasing her immediately and jumping away. "Kami I didn't want to do that, I've hurt you enough already."

"Just leave..." Kagome ordered, "Go away."

Turning to the doorway, he stopped, remembering something from the night before just then.

"What does he look like?"

"Who?"

"Your Inuyasha?" Daisuke asked, "What does he look like?"

"Why?" Kagome asked, touching her burning cheek, "What does he have to do with this?"

Daisuke ran a hand through his hair, "There was a kid around your age who showed up last night, black pants, red shirt, black baseball cap..."

(- No! Oh kami no! -)

"Silver hair?" Kagome asked, moaning when he nodded affirmatively. "It's impossible... how could he get here?"

Getting up out of bed, she felt the air on her bare skin and looked down to see she wore nothing but her mini skirt from the night before, and that was ripped up along the left side. Uncaring about Daisuke watching, she quickly pulled on some underwear, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Shoving past him, she hurried downstairs, slipped on a pair of flip-flops and ran out to the well house.

His clothes were gone, she noticed the pile missing immediately. Jumping into the well, she gasped, landing on her feet at the bottom. "Nani?"

Climbing up a little on the ladder, she jumped again and landed on her feet, crumpling to her knees immediately because of the pain in her legs. "Oh please, please let me through!"

Kneeling there, she pounded the ground, focusing her energy to no avail. She was blocked, there was no getting through. (- Kami-sama I have to get through! -)

Above her head, she heard a set of footsteps and looked up to see Shinji was back and looking down the well. Sitting against a side of the wall, she hesitated about what to do. The decision was made for her when she was ordered to come out. Shaking her head 'no' she nearly jumped out of her skin when the rock beside her head was shot. There was no sound to accompany it but she still screamed, crawling over and climbing up the ladder.

Once she reached the top, she saw he held a shiny silver gun in his hand and nearly fell back in her fright. His large hand clamped down on her elbow and he gave her a push towards the exit. Stumbling home, she was entering the house when a group of black cars came up the driveway, looking like something out of a mafia movie, big fat men in black suits and everything.

At the sight of Wufei she felt her knees go weak and hurried inside to find Daisuke waiting, looking both terrified and regretful. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he came over and despite their differences, she welcomed his hug, realizing how dire the circumstances were, especially for him.

The men entered soon after, a taller, older man accompanied them and Daisuke bowed respectfully to him, greeting him as Nakago-sama. Recognizing the name, Kagome met his cool gaze evenly, with as much of a glare as she dared to give such a powerful man, and scowled when Shinji made her bow.

"A spunky brat, isn't she?" Nakago chuckled, "So Daisuke, I assume you still don't have the money to pay for your debt?"

"I don't," he admitted.

"Well, then how shall it be re-paid?" Nakago glanced around, "A lovely little home, if a bit messed up from last night's revels. The mortgage on this is still not enough."

"You can't take the shrine!" Kagome gasped, "He's not the heir! Grandpa has appointed me as the next in line for it!"

"And your mother owes me for the substantially expensive treatments she's been getting child, not to mention your brother's exclusive camp. However the shrine is enough to pay for those," Nakago snapped, "But Daisuke's half-million..."

"Half a million dollars!" Kagome gawked at her uncle, "How could you lose so much!"

"It's not like I'm the first ever to lose that amount," Daisuke shrugged, "Bad luck at high-rolling tables."

Nakago looked around, noticing his son's interest in the girl, "Perhaps your niece could be part of the payment? Wufei certainly took a liking to her."

"No!" Kagome struggled against a couple of guards as she was dragged to the man's side. Kicking and squirming, she was calmed down when a hand clamped down on strategic pressure points on the base of her neck. Cringing in pain, she was barely able to stay on her feet, never mind fighting, her body encircled by Wufei's black-clad arms.

"How much would you say she's worth Daisuke? I'll let you pick," Nakago watched the man struggling against a couple of bodyguards.

"Let her go! She's just a kid! She's been involved enough already!" Daisuke shouted.

Wufei nodded in agreement, a hand sliding down her side, "Exactly Dai, she knows too much, she'll have to be punished too unfortunately."

"What about my family?" Kagome asked, "My mother and brother and grandfather?"

"Oh they needn't be involved," Nakago shrugged, "If only the two of you know, why ruin more lives? After all, your mother will be dead soon, your grandfather is old and your brother is still a child."

Hearing him speak of her mother in such a way struck Kagome like a fist and she visibly flinched and recoiled. Seeing her reaction, he shook his head and gave an non-chalante shrug, "It doesn't matter to me very much what hopes you might like to cling to, its a fact, and with the flu season going strong in the U.S. it won't be long until she catches it. How long do you think she'll last then? After all, the years battling her HIV have already taken a strong toll, one little cold could very well be the death of her."

With a whimper, Kagome covered her ears, not wanting to hear more. Laughing at the poor girls' distress, Wufei lightly pushed her forward and she quickly complied, running forward to her uncle. While he held her close, she vaguely heard them give him one night to come up with the money, leaving him with the open threat that something terrible might happen to his dear little niece otherwise.

Once the men had left, Kagome released her hold on his shirt and sank into the nearest chair, hands covering her face.

"How am I going to make so much money in twenty four hours?" Daisuke raked a hand through his hair, looking around the living room hopelessly. Glancing at one of his father's antique scrolls, an idea popped into his head and he stood.

"How much do you think these are worth?"

"Those? I don't think they're worth very much, I'm not sure when they're from," Kagome shrugged, watching him gather as many of his father's so-called 'antiques' as he could.

"If we can just find one thing or a few things old enough that are real, perhaps we could re-pay the debt," Daisuke entered the kitchen and grabbed the keys to the storage building. "I'm going to look through dad's collections, there has to be something there."

(- If I could go back through the well, I could get some things old enough! They would be worth a lot! -)

Kagome bit her lip, waiting for him to go so she could try again. While he grabbed up a flashlight and bag, she suddenly smacked her forehead and hurried upstairs, rummaging under her bed until she found the necklace with the shikon shards, which she'd hidden before the party the night before. No wonder she hadn't been able to go back earlier, she didn't have the shards! In her haste, she'd completely forgotten she wasn't wearing them anymore.

Making her way downstairs again, she was just turning into the kitchen when her mouth was covered and she was dragged back, kicking and clawing into her grandfather's room again. With a hard shove, she was thrown to the ground and her head made a dull thud as it hit the tatami mats. Above her stood Shinji and the look in his eyes did not bode well. Raising her legs to kick him, she screamed when he slammed the butt of his gun against her knee, a loud crack following the hit.

"ITAI!" Rolling onto her side, she clutched her left knee with both hands, tears of fear and pain forming in her eyes.

Shinji smirked, grabbing a control from the desk above her and turning on the radio. The music was blaring, obviously intended to muffle any screams or sounds of struggle. Wondering where Daisuke was and why he wasn't coming, Kagome tried to kick Shinji when he dropped down in front of her, screaming for Dai when his fist struck her injured knee again. Hindered by the horrible throbbing, she could barely struggle when he shoved her onto her back and moan when his fist connected with her cheek.

The world darkened for a moment, as she closed her eyes from the force of the blow, his angry voice reaching her over the loud music.

"Damnit brat do you have any idea how much shit we're all in! Daisuke's not the only one who needed to re-pay the family! Except unlike him, I have nothing that might appease them!" Shinji ignored her weak attempts to fight, ripping at her clothes desperately.

"So if I'm going to die tomorrow, I might as well enjoy tonight, and I've been watching you with all those others. I figured why not get some too ne-? After all, we are _so_ fond of each other!"

(- No! Anything but that! At least I don't remember last night but I'll go mad if he forces me now! -)

"No!"

Kagome clawed at his hands while feebly looking around for any sort of weapon. Moaning again when he roughly tugged on her jeans and undies, jarring her knee, she looked to her left and caught sight of a piece of broken glass. The piece was long and rather jagged, but that made it perfect for her task. Reaching out, she gasped when his hands moved from her to his belt and moved quickly, grabbing a hold of it and turning to slash his chest.

"Bitch!"

Looking down at his blood and then up at the bloody piece of glass in her hands, he snarled and moved to wrestle it away but she brought it down hard into his shoulder. With a scream, he pulled back, punching her hard in the stomach. She brought her hands down but still gripped the glass, the sharp edges cutting into her fingers. Seeing her still holding it, he punched again, striking her across her face, then back on her stomach, then her ribs. She lost count of the blows but he didn't stop until she finally let go of the glass and he was able to take it. Still poised above her, he threw it down beside them, gripping her shoulders fiercely and shouting while he lifted and slammed her against the floor a few times.

Head pounding, Kagome could only attempt to grip his arms and beg.

"Stop! Please stop!"

Her voice seemed to snap him out of it, and he did stop for a second, before focusing again on her clothes.

(- I can't let him do this! -)

Bringing her uninjured knee up as high as she could with her pants down, she somehow got a good hit to his groin and knocked him off her. Unable to get up, she rolled instead, barely avoiding an attempt to stab her with the glass, only to get slashed in the arm. Rolling as fast as she could, she eventually hit the legs of the table she'd been on the night before and brought it crashing down on them both.

Taking advantage of the much-needed distraction, she quickly pulled up her pants, scooting back while he threw the table away, and felt her hand brush against a piece of metal beneath the sofa behind her back. Bringing it up in front of her, she recognized it as one of the needles he'd used while piercing her stomach. Within seconds he was rushing towards her again and she instinctively jabbed it forward, cringing and closing her eyes when she felt it pierce flesh.

Hearing him make an odd, choking sound, she opened her eyes and gasped. Shinji kneeled in front of her frozen in shock, eyes boring into hers for what seemed like an eternity.

"Wha...?"

Shinji's question went unfinished, as he began choking up blood, falling down onto all fours, trapping her beneath him. After a few more spasms and violent gurgles, he gave an odd strangled sound and slumped forward, crashing down heavily over her.

"Oh kami... oh kami..."

Kagome stayed there for a few seconds, sprawled on her back and trembling. Her knee was throbbing madly, blood dripped from her cut and a few scratches on her hips, and her body was aching with the sting of his blows. Raising one tremulous hand to the man's neck, she searched for a pulse and gulped. Eyes widening in shock, she lay there numbly for a moment, shaking her head while a single thought ran through her mind.

(- I just killed a man... -)

Closing her eyes with a whimper, she felt the stickiness seeping onto her and let out a scream that was muffled by the music.

She was covered in blood.

Shoving him off, she tried to stand and cried out at the agonizing pain in her knee and ribs. Finally, she drew a deep breath, gripped the edge of the sofa and pulled herself to her feet. Her head spun and she felt nauseous, but she managed to fight it down and hobble out of the room. Leaning against the kitchen doorway, she found her uncle unconscious on the ground, a large bump on the back of his head.

Body shaking from the strain of standing, she hugged herself tight while she limped towards the well house, dropping to her good knee halfway there. Dragging herself across the patio, she took no notice of the bloodstains she left on the way and then rolled down the steps when she got inside. Lying on her back beside the wooden structure, time seemed to stop while her head spun, the events of the past twenty-four hours rewinding in her mind. Tears coursed down her bruised cheeks, but she couldn't seem to make them stop.

(- I should just stay here and let them find me. Why involve Inuyasha and the others? They don't deserve to be burdened with my problems... If only I weren't so weak, but I am... I need to see them, just once more. -)

Somehow managing to pull herself onto the well, she gave one desperate prayer to the kami and with a choked sob, let herself fall in. Closing her eyes, she was oblivious to whether or not the well let her through, focusing solely on the pain flooding her in relentless waves.

* * *

_Edited due to FF's new policy regarding songs in fics._


	10. Broken

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry this took forever to update, I had a sever case of writer's block with this chapter.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"I'm going for a walk," Shippo sniffled, pushing the curtain that served as a door to the hut out of the way.  
  
Knowing he was going to wallow near the well, Sango and Miroku nodded, feeling equally upset about Inuyasha's orders the previous evening. He was out in the forest somewhere, working out his anger on some poor defenseless trees no doubt. What he'd seen to make him so mad the night before, none of them had any idea, but it must have been bad, very, very bad.  
  
"What did he mean she's a betraying bitch? Kagome's the most loyal person in the group, especially to him," Shippo hiccupped, wandering slowly to the well. Finally reaching it, he sniffled again, grimacing when the scent of blood reached his nose.  
  
(- Great, he's killed something! -)  
  
Leaning against the side, a soft, whimpering sound interrupted his musings. Looking around expecting to see some half-dead animal, he frowned, listening for it to be repeated. The sound came again, and it seemed, from inside the well. Hopping onto the edge, he looked down, eyes widening at the sight.  
  
_"KAGOME!"  
_  
Quickly jumping in, he landed beside her and grimaced, poking her on her back to try and waken her, managing only to make her whimper again. Terrified that she would die, he clambered out and started shouting while he ran.  
  
"HEEEELLLPPP!"  
  
"MIROKUUU! SANGOO! INUYAASHAAA!"  
  
"Oi! Calm down runt!"  
  
Catching him up by the tail as he exited the forest near Kaede's hut, Inuyasha frowned, pulling the kitsune closer to get a better whiff. "Why do you smell like...?"  
  
Shippo reached out and grabbed him by the hair, interrupting him mid-sentence. "Inuyasha you have to hurry! Kagome's at the bottom of the well!"  
  
Inuyasha heard the others coming and turned to glare at the monk, "I thought I told you to seal her away?!"  
  
"We did!" Miroku stopped by his side, "But not completely, Kaede-sama used a special incantation that would allow her to pass only under the direst of circumstances."  
  
"So what's she doing here now?" Inuyasha snapped, following the monk and taijiya's gazes. Kaede stood beside them with a worried expression, a sense of dread falling over the older miko.  
  
"Someone's hurt her!" Shippo began to cry, "She... she almost looks... well... _dead_!"  
  
"What?!" Dropping the kitsune, Inuyasha rushed towards the well, the scent of blood reaching him as he entered the clearing. "Shit!"  
  
Sailing over the edge, he landed at the bottom and shrank away when he saw her, his back hitting the wall with a hard thud and making him slide down along its surface. Lying on her side, she was partially covered from his view, but the scent of blood was nearly overwhelming and she was obviously soaked in it. Crawling forward and carefully taking her arm, he turned her onto her back and felt his heart plummet to his toes. All thoughts of her betraying him were immediately erased from his mind; to be replaced by shock and disbelief, followed by sheer rage.  
  
(- What the hell happened?! -)  
  
He realized his hands were fisted when he heard the other's voices and felt the sting of his clawed nails biting into his palms. When she suddenly whimpered, he watched her hands flutter up to her chest, lying there weakly after a moment. He noticed then, the way her shirt was torn and the bruising that had already begun on her wrists. Carefully lowering her hands to her sides, he heard a gasp and turned to see Sango coming down, followed by Miroku.  
  
"Inuyasha who would do this to her?" Sango's eyes were wide and horrified as she looked over her friend.  
  
Shaking his head, Inuyasha focused on her shirt, carefully ripping off the pieces that were left to get a look at her body. The scent of blood in the well was making his nose scrunch up and his stomach lurch, but he needed to see how badly she was hurt to get her out without causing more damage. Sango drew in a sharp breath at the sight of her bruises, from her belly to her ribs, her body was a jumble of blues and purples beneath the crimson stains.  
  
"Whoever did it showed no mercy." Miroku whispered, his normally controlled voice cracking a bit. In anger or sadness, they couldn't tell, but the truth to his words was obvious.  
  
Shippo joined them, "And her leg's not right."  
  
Pointing, he brought their attention to her left leg, which was lying rather oddly. Seeing the way her pants were barely on, Inuyasha's chest rumbled with a suppressed growl as he ripped the leg free of the pants. Her knee was out of place, bruising terribly; they'd have to put it back again. She'd be lucky if the bone wasn't broken.  
  
Hearing her moan, they looked up to her battered face, wincing a little at the darkening bruises. When Inuyasha touched the worst of them, one on her ribs beneath her right breast, she gasped and raised a hand, only to drop it at her side again.  
  
"She came here to hide," Inuyasha muttered, removing his haori and draping it around her, "Like some fucking wounded animal or something!"  
  
Sango reached out to touch his wrist, "She came here for help Inuyasha, no matter what happened last night, she needed us."  
  
"What she needs is to be taken to Kaede-sama and given something for the pain," Miroku interrupted. "I can't even imagine how horrible she'll feel when she wakes up."  
  
Biting his lip uncertainly, Inuyasha finally moved to lift her bridal style, holding her tight when she moaned. Jumping out of the well, he climbed onto Kirara's back, knowing the cat would be able to carry her smoothly to the hut without jarring her.  
  
While the others hurried back on foot, he kept his hold tight, Shippo clinging to his shoulder quietly. Inuyasha felt his belly knot when tears slipped from her eyes and she began to cry with low deep sobs. Despite being unconscious, she was still aware enough of the pain to cry, just that fact made the knot in his belly lurch. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Inuyasha cringed with each sound she made, guilt and anger both warring within him.  
  
Reaching the miko's hut, he thanked Kirara, nodding grimly at the old woman holding the curtain open for him. Sucking in her breath, Kaede had him set her down in the back room where they always slept while recovering. Shooing him out, she welcomed Sango's help as she set out to clean the girl up.  
  
"So much blood... " Kaede whispered.  
  
Inuyasha paced across the doorway, itching to rush through the well and kill whoever dared touch Kagome, but he needed answers first. Most importantly, would she be all right? When asked to bring more water, both he and Miroku went to get some. It took nearly four buckets to remove the blood, not including her hair, which still had a bit caked in.  
  
Sango quietly cried as she helped clean up the girl, but the scent that truly haunted him was the scent of Kagome's tears, accompanied by a mewl or sob when they touched a particularly bad spot. Unable to wait after they'd brought out the last of the water, he moved back into the room, only to wince again when he saw her, clean now, save for the bruises and bandages being wrapped around her ribs and arm.  
  
Shippo stood by his leg, speaking quietly in a mournful voice, "I told you she looked dead."  
  
"She's not dead," Inuyasha snapped, shuddering at the very thought.  
  
(- Kami but she easily could have been with all those wounds. Who the hell would do this to her? -)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_"Aaaaaagh!"_  
  
The scream reverberated in the small room as Kagome shot up on the bed, gasping and moaning at the excruciating pain. When a pair of arms came around her body to steady her, she shook her head blindly, unaware of where she was or who held her.  
  
"Calm down! Please Kagome _listen_ to me!"  
  
Inuyasha held her tight, keeping her arms from moving and causing her more pain. He'd placed himself beside her when Kaede had decided to move the dislocated knee into place again. Feeling her deep shudders and gasps, he cringed but kept a firm hold on her upper body.  
  
"It's ok, Kagome you're gonna get better now! You're safe!"  
  
Focusing on the voice calling to her in the pain-induced fog, Kagome fought against the arms around her, trembling violently. Through the agony and shock pulling at her mind, she managed to focus a little and shook her head. She began to sob brokenly again, falling limp in his hold at last, her voice weak and terrified as she whispered.  
  
"Please don't... hurt me... anymore...""  
  
Sango turned into Miroku's chest, wondering how someone like Kagome could be put in such a horrible situation. Miroku held her while she cried, feeling his own heart aching at the broken girl's words. Shippo sat beside Kagome's good leg, hugging her knee and crying into her thigh. Kaede stayed out of the way, but had tears in her eye as well.  
  
"No one's going to hurt you anymore Kagome," Inuyasha promised, "No one."  
  
Crying quietly while he rocked her slowly on his lap, Kagome eventually fell asleep again, remaining unconscious during the rest of the day and it seemed as if she'd sleep through the rest of the night. A good while after he'd set her down on the futon, the others slipped outside to try and get some sleep too.  
  
(- Kami, who could have done this to her? Why? -)  
  
Millions of questions haunted him over and over as he sat and watched over her, holding her limp hand in his own.  
  
How could he have missed something like this? Hadn't he thought he'd seen a bruise on her cheek the other night? He should have paid more attention! He shouldn't have let her talk him into leaving, especially when he sensed how scared and worried she was! What kind of protector was he?  
  
A sudden moan and movement of her eyelashes snapped his attention back as he waited to see if she'd awaken.  
  
But Kagome didn't want to wake up, knowing she wouldn't like it when she did, and she was right. As her mind re-gained consciousness, the pain tore through her in spiteful waves, making her gasp at the force of it. She heard a soft voice nearby and struggled to concentrate on it.  
  
"Shh... it's ok now Kagome, you're safe here," the voice broke through the haze in her mind and brought her a little closer to awareness.  
  
"Safe?"  
  
The hope she laced in that one word forced Inuyasha to gulp down the knot in his throat, "Hai Kagome, you'll be ok now, just rest."  
  
Biting her lip till it nearly bled, she gave an involuntary sob and clenched her eyes shut, speaking almost too softly for even his ears to pick up on. "Hurts so bad."  
  
"Kaede made you tea," she felt him carefully cup the back of her neck in one hand and lift her head up.  
  
Moaning from the shocks the simple movement caused her, she managed to open her parched lips and sip a bit of the tea from the cup he placed against them. She drank half of it before the effort of staying awake became too much, with a deep shudder; she gave a small moan and fell back into the blessed state of unconsciousness.  
  
"Shit! Kagome don't do this to me, don't scare me like this," Inuyasha mumbled, setting down the cup and leaning close to make sure she'd be ok.  
  
"How much did she drink?" Kaede asked, startling the worried hanyou.  
  
"Half a cup, but then she just fainted- I think." Inuyasha lay her down gently, "She was drinking and then gave a shudder and fell limp again. She said she was in a lot of pain."  
  
"I can imagine," Kaede sighed, "You might as well get some rest Inuyasha, wounds like those will take time to heal, especially the knee and bruised ribs. The tea you gave her will help with the pain."  
  
He nodded but stayed by her side, "I'm not the one you should worry about."  
  
"I know, but she'll need you to be in a good mood when she wakes up, your yelling at her will do no one any good."  
  
With that, Kaede shuffled out of the room, leaving him alone with her and his worries.  
  
(- Hell, what right do_ I_ have to yell at her? _I'm_ the one that let her down. -)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kagome grit her teeth, marveling at the fact that even they were sore. The pain wouldn't stop, how long she'd been this way she couldn't tell, but it felt like forever. And the pain just kept coming, surging and swelling, tearing through her whole body, soaring higher and higher until she knew she could take no more. Then it would lessen, receding like the tide, giving her a few precious instants of relief before the cycle started over again.  
  
She felt lost, her head constantly pounding, voices reached her but made little sense. She could feel herself being lifted and made to drink something, wanting to sigh when the cool drink slipped down her aching throat but unable to. All she seemed capable of doing was sleep, cry, and hope, and pray she'd make it out of this all right. That the pain would go down soon, it had to.  
  
But just as she felt like it was lessening more, the pain would return, wickedly cutting down her hope. Lord but she wanted it to end, she was trapped by it, helpless, and completely alone. She'd failed Daisuke and killed Shinji, and the kami were repaying her with this, she knew it. This was her punishment for failing.  
  
This and knowing she couldn't do anything to help anyone else, not her mom, or grandpa or Souta.  
  
Anxious to get out and get away from her labored breathing, Inuyasha finally jumped to his feet after two days of watching her with no signs of waking. "I have to get out of here, I have to find out what happened."  
  
"Are you going through the well?" Shippo asked from his place beside her left shoulder.  
  
"How else am I going to find out who did this to her?" Inuyasha snapped.  
  
Kaede and the others of course, kept their mouths shut, knowing better than to argue with him at a time like this. They all wanted to know, but from the looks of him you could tell that he not only wanted to know, he _needed_ to.  
  
"Go on, she's in good hands," Sango shooed him off.  
  
Thanking them with a nod, he stepped out of the hut after one last glance at Kagome and headed towards the well. Standing on the edge of the wooden structure, he looked down almost hesitantly, for a moment thinking he might find her there, bathed in blood again. In all his years of watching both humans and youkai being killed and mangled, never had he been so horrified as he had been when he'd seen her there.  
  
The image was not one he would likely forget - ever.  
  
Closing his eyes and jumping, he felt the familiar weightlessness that came over them while passing through time and growled as he emerged in the well house. He could smell blood here too, a few days old, but relatively fresh. Scrunching up his nose, he climbed out and followed the crimson trail, obviously made by something being dragged across the ground. A picture of Kagome dragging herself across the yard, bloodied and broken, made his stomach churn and the grumbling in his chest increase.  
  
Stopping when he reached the door to the well house, he heard loud voices and lots of movement outside. Looking out through the small windows in it, he saw there were a lot of men in some type of uniform checking things over, surrounding the place with yellow tape, taking pictures and shouting details to one another.  
  
Remembering a movie he'd watched with Souta, he realized they were police and they were investigating what had happened. The well house had also been taped off and he cursed when he saw them coming towards it, following the bloody trail along the yard. He quickly turned and jumped back in to return to his own time.  
  
(- There's not much I can do with police looking around. I shouldn't have ripped those clothes she left for me, with those I could have talked to them but I can't do that wearing my robes. -)  
  
Heading back to the hut, he saw the other's surprised expressions and explained his early return.  
  
"So you did not get a chance to find out anything?" Miroku said in a statement more than a question.  
  
"No, I couldn't go out with all those humans snooping around, but there was blood leading from the house to the well. She... she obviously had to drag herself there," his tone lowered towards the end, the words making the others wince.  
  
"I... had to get... away."  
  
At the sound of her voice, the group turned their attention towards her again, relief filling them all as they saw she was finally awake. Awake but not smiling, or looking even remotely happy.  
  
No, she still looked rather terrible, and they all seemed to freeze when she closed her eyes and explained. "I was so scared... I didn't... I never meant to kill him."-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
-  
  
I know its not the longest thing I've ever written but if I kept going it would have been too long, and that seemed like a good place to stop. I'm sorry if it was slow, just be glad I posted finally, I promise the next chapter will explain a lot more.  
  
Thank you to everyone for the great reviews, and again, I'm sorry for the wait. 


	11. Good Night My Angel

**Author's Note:** Maybe I'm extra-sensitive because my dad is sick, but I thought I'd give you fair warning, you _might_ need some tissues.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kagome!"

Shippo jumped over to her side, attaching himself to her arm, bursting into tears, "You're finally awake! I was so scared! I thought you were _dead_ when I found you!"

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, gritting her teeth for a second, "What day is it?"

"You've been sleeping for two days," Sango answered as she kneeled beside her.

Miroku came over to her other side, smiling gently at the girl, "You gave us quite the scare Kagome-sama, we were all worried sick."

"I'm sorry," Kagome whispered, "I was so scared and hurt, I just needed help and the well wouldn't let me through the first time."

"We sealed it against you," Kaede explained, "It was only to let you pass under serious circumstances."

"You sealed it?" Kagome gasped, eyes widening in surprise, "Why?"

"Because I told them to," Inuyasha finally spoke, "Because of what I saw you doing, on that table."

(- A table? -)

The silent question flashed in everyone's eyes as they pulled back and let him take a place beside her.

Kagome's chin trembled and her eyes filled with tears, "I didn't know you were there."

"You looked right at me."

Shaking her head, she winced and closed her eyes, "I might have seen you but I didn't recognize you, I'm... I'm still not even sure of what happened that night."

"How can you not know what you did?" Inuyasha snapped, annoyed by her denouncing what he'd seen with his own eyes. He'd been there, he knew she'd seen him damnit!

"It's called being drugged Inuyasha," Kagome's voice cracked, "Not that it matters anymore, everything they did, everything _I_ did. None of it matters, I still failed, I couldn't do what they needed me to and my family will have to pay. It's all my fault, mine and uncle Dai's."

Immediately filled with remorse for his stupid temper, Inuyasha took hold of her hand and lowered his voice, "No Kagome, it's not..."

But she wasn't to be interrupted, "He owed them money you see, a lot of money, so they wanted him to find out some information about another company and help get a certain man in control of it. They sent Mama and Grandpa to California for her treatments, and Souta was packed off to camp, but I had to stay. I was the one who did all the dirty work, me and a girl named Miwa who was the one who slept with them at first."

"Slept with..." Sango paled, shaking her head at the words. (- At first? -)

"It started out easily, I went to a party, tempted the specified man into another room, drugged him and left him with Miwa to sleep with and bribe the information out of him. There were parties at the house and at hotels, I even went to a business lunch with my main customer. During the ride home afterwards Miwa couldn't take my place so I had to... service him in a way."

(- No -)

Inuyasha froze, feeling as if he'd just been rammed through the stomach with Tetsusaiga. Kagome couldn't have been... anything but that.

Tears leaked from her closed eyelids while she bit her lip for a moment before continuing, "He didn't take me but his hands and his mouth..."

Shuddering, she blinked back more tears and forced herself to continue, "Shinji made sure I was trained for it, he was the one in charge at home. He also tied me down to pierce my belly button, and threw me into the bathtub and..."

"Stop!"

The desperate shout made everyone jump, staring wide-eyed at the shaken hanyou. They were all horrified of course, how could their sweet, naive Kagome have been forced to do such horrible things. But he was visibly pale and shaking his head. "Don't..."

"That's what I said," Kagome continued, "_Don't_ and _please_ and _no_, but _they_ never listened. The night you saw me I was drugged and unaware of what happened. It wasn't until the next day when I found out that I'd finally been taken and by then it was too late. The company chose a different man and Uncle Dai was given twenty four hours to come up with the money before they took drastic measures."

"Kagome..."

"Shinji had a debt too, I don't know how much be he owed them and he couldn't pay," Kagome began trembling again, "He knocked uncle Dai unconscious and turned up the radio so my screams wouldn't be heard."

"I'll kill him" Inuyasha growled, fists clenched in anger.

Her voice dropped to a whisper then, "Too late."

Closing her eyes, she felt bile rise in her throat and shook with the memories of the attack. "I never meant to kill him but I couldn't let him touch me. He hit me... so many times, but finally I managed to get far enough to pull up my pants... I found a large needle under the sofa and I picked it up and jammed it forward when he lunged at me. I wasn't thinking about killing him, I just... couldn't take another blow."

A sob interrupted her then, coming from Sango who was leaning against Miroku's side. The monk held the taijiya close, equally upset by the tale. Shippo sat solemnly curled up beside Kagome, clinging to her side and crying quietly too. Kaede sat shaking her head, wondering how the kami could put a child in such horrible circumstances.

"The blood wasn't yours," Inuyasha mumbled, "Only a little of it was yours but Shippo was right, you looked dead when we found you."

To their surprise, she shrugged and turned her head away, "I almost wish I had been."

Too stunned to give a reply, they stared while her breathing evened and she fell back into a deep sleep, having exhausted what energy she had while explaining.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(- I have to find out what happened to her family. -)

Climbing out of the well, Inuyasha listened carefully for anyone moving outside and was relieved to see the yellow tape was gone. It had been a week and a half since Kagome had explained everything, and while she was physically better, she was reserved and depressed. She hardly spoke or ate, always asking to be left alone in the dark recovery room. Her hands were healed and her arm, the bruised ribs were better and her knee seemed to be healing well.

What killed him were her soft sobs though, after two weeks of hearing them he just wanted to crawl into a hole and die too. He almost wished she hadn't explained and left him thinking the worst, it was cowardly he knew, but this guilt was tearing him apart. How could he have left her there? Why hadn't she told him?

Stepping out into the yard, he listened carefully when he heard movement inside the house and was relieved to hear her grandfather's voice again. "Thank kami they're back."

Hurrying inside, he stopped short when he reached the kitchen door, the smell of sickness was just overwhelming. Turning and sucking in a gulp of clean air, he stepped inside and followed the voices up to her mother's room, tapping the door gently with his claws before coming in.

Freezing in the doorway, he let out the breath he'd been holding and inwardly cursed, surprised to see her mom smile at him from the bed.

"Hello Inuyasha, we've been wondering where you were. Is she all right?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, looking like she would break at any minute.

Her face was pale and sallow, her body thin and gaunt. This was not the same woman who always smiled and welcomed him into her home, he tried to tell himself, but it was, and he knew the smell that had woven into hers and was slowly taking over.

(- So soon? -)

Snapping from his thoughts when she called his name again, he said the first thing to come to mind. The truth.

"She's recovering, her ribs aren't so bruised and her knee's getting better." Inuyasha blurted out, regretting it immediately when her expression became troubled.

Her father and son spoke before she could, "Kagome was hurt? By whom?"

Inuyasha shrugged, "She killed the man in that room."

Souta gasped, "_Kagome?_ I thought uncle Dai did it?"

"According to the police he was the only one who could have," Grandpa motioned for Inuyasha to take a seat. "Sit down and explain young man."

Glancing at Souta, Inuyasha hesitated while doing as told, "I don't know if a kid..."

"I have the right to know what happened to my sister!" Souta argued.

"She was attacked," Inuyasha's shoulders slumped, eyes focusing on the floor while he went on to explain all that had happened. "So she's recovering now, in a small room in Kaede's hut. She's physically healed but she... she won't stop crying."

Standing and pacing across the foot of the bed, he was clenching and unclenching his fists as he spoke, "It's been two weeks. Two weeks! Of hearing her constantly trying to hide her crying, seeing her lie there blankly, staring out into space, hearing her beg in her dreams."

"Can we be left alone?" Asami waved her father and son out of the room, patting the bed next to her for Inuyasha to sit.

Feeling confined as it was in the closed room, he none-the-less sat beside her as indicated, feeling his tightly controlled emotions about to snap. He wanted to tear something apart and fall to his knees beside her and soothe it all away. A knot was lodged in his throat and a prickling suspiciously like tears threatened at the corners of his eyes, not that he'd let them out or anything like that. The three of them had cried enough already for him to be adding more to the lot, so had everyone else in the past.

Taking a seat, he was surprised when she reached out and gently tugged him close enough for a hug, "You might not need it, but I just heard every mother's nightmare and a hug would be nice."

"Umm..." hesitantly leaning forward, he left his hands at her sides and was surprised to find she was silently offering him comfort, not taking it.

"I'm sorry to put this on your shoulders, but you need to stop focusing on your feelings of guilt and help her Inuyasha." Asami kissed his cheek, "You need to bring her back so I can talk to her, you can smell it can't you? I've always heard that animals can sense death, not to offend you, but you have..."

"Yeah I smell it," he admitted, taking no offense from her referring to his youkai side. "I can smell your illness and even the tears you've shed into the pillows, just like I can smell hers in that hut."

"I know you feel guilty, but there is not much you could have done unless she'd told you and asked for your help." Asami tightened her hold on him, "I'm sure she doesn't blame you for anything, you shouldn't either, none of it was your fault or hers."

"I should have paid more attention, I knew she was afraid, I saw one of the bruises once and I thought it was just a shadow. I should have checked." Inuyasha mumbled, "What kind of protector am I?"

"One who has saved her life countless times," Asami reminded him, "You can't doubt yourself now, she needs you."

"She can't even stand to look at me," Inuyasha pulled back and sighed, "She closes her eyes or turns away each time I enter the room. She won't meet my gaze when I try to talk to her and she always asks to be left alone."

"Kagome's always kept her troubles to herself, she's great at giving comfort, but terrible at asking for it. I can't even imagine how she feels, my poor little girl." Asmai's eyes filled with tears again but she sniffled and held them back. "Is her knee well enough for her to come home? I'd like to give her the good news, Taikisha's executives sent a letter clearing us of Daisuke's debt."

"I'll bring her," Inuyasha watched her yawn and inwardly winced. He'd felt the slight trembling of her arms when she'd hugged him, and this sign of fatigue was not a good one either. Not to mention the feverish flush that was coming onto her cheeks. Maybe she had less time than he'd originally thought.

"Thank you," Asmai lay back against her pillows and smiled when he pulled up her covers, "You're very kind Inuyasha, did anyone ever tell you that?"

Blushing, he shrugged, "Just Kagome."

"She's right, and I'm glad she has you to take care of her," yawning, she gave him another smile before falling asleep.

Standing and slipping out of the room, Inuyasha was surprised to find Souta and Grandpa downstairs in the kitchen, quietly making tea.

"She doesn't have much time left does she?" Souta's voice was strained and wavering, his face already tear-stained from the earlier account.

Knowing it would be useless to lie, Inuyasha shook his head, "No."

"Kagome needs to come see her," Grandpa sighed.

Nodding, Inuyasha headed for the door, "I'm going to bring her home, we should be here in a short while."

Making his way back to his time, he walked slowly through the forest towards the hut, feelings of doubt and guilt still plaguing him. When he reached the small structure, he was welcomed with faint smiles and nods from the others, who silently picked up and went off into the village, leaving him alone with Kagome to talk. Even Shippo went with Kaede without arguing, knowing things needed to be cleared up between the two.

Feeling rather awkward, Inuyasha knocked on the wall before entering the back room, stopping just inside the doorway. Kagome wasn't asleep, she'd been staring out the window again, propped up with a few folded blankets between her back and the wall.

Focusing her attention on him, she quickly lowered her eyes, "Hey."

"I went through the well," he came forward and knelt by her side, but not too close, "Your family's home."

"What did they say?" Kagome's head snapped up, "You didn't tell them about what happened, did you?"

Nodding, he was about to explain when she gave a strangled cry, "You told them?! How could you?! They weren't supposed to know!"

"Why not? They have as much of a right as anyone..." Inuyasha began to argue only to be cut off again.

"No they don't! No one has a right to invade a person's privacy! That was _my_ nightmare, you had no right to share it with them!" Kagome turned her head away, pulling up her good knee and curling up. "I didn't want them to know... they didn't need to know."

"Of course they need to know, they're your family, they love you," Inuyasha came forward and touched her shoulder. "They want to see you."

"No..." Kagome sniffled and shook her head, "I can't face them now, I don't want to face anyone, I wish I'd died."

"NO!"

Kagome barely managed to gasp before she found herself pinned to the wall, Inuyasha straddling her legs and his hands gripping her shoulders tightly, forcing her to look at him. There was an odd, almost desperate gleam in his eyes when he spoke, "Don't you _ever_ wish for that."

"It's true"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!" she insisted, "If I'd died I wouldn't have to suffer this pain, I wouldn't feel so dirty or worthless, I wouldn't feel this horrible guilt or fear!"

Inuyasha shook his head, "You're wrong! Damnit Kagome you're so wrong!"

Feeling suddenly furious, Kagome hit his chest, "What do you know? You... you've never been through this! You've never been drugged and groped and humiliated by leering old men! You're nothing like me! You're strong and brave and... and..."

Inuyasha let her beat at his chest, her fists slowing as her sobbing intensified. "And?"

"Clean!"

The strange word, sounding more like a wail, was the last she said for a little while as she broke down and buried her face in her hands. When he tried to hold her, she struggled against him at first, but in the end he won out and she found herself clinging and crying into his chest.

"I keep dreaming about them... Shinji, Enishi, and others... they won't stop touching me..."

Gulping down his own tears, Inuyasha tightened his hold on her as she explained between sobs.

"They're everywhere... touching and scratching and licking... everywhere... its like they'll never stop and I'll never wash them off... I can't even dream without them there."

"You're not dirty," Inuyasha rocked her carefully and kissed her temple, "You're not."

Kagome shook her head, "Yes I am."

"No you're not"

"Yes..."

"Why didn't you tell me? The night I was there, why didn't you say anything?" Inuyasha changed the subject, seeing they were getting nowhere.

Kagome hiccuped and lowered her head, "I... I was ashamed, I had gone to a party earlier and had one of the worst times, and you were being so nice."

"You stayed in the shower for hours," Inuyasha remembered, "You said you'd felt dirty."

"Yes"

"You should have told me Kagome," he sighed and rested his forehead against her hair, "I wish you'd let me help."

She shook her head, "There was nothing you could do. You would have made things worse if you lost your temper and attacked someone. I had to do what they wanted for my family, they would have suffered, they probably are suffering because of my failure."

"Your mother got a letter saying the debt was gone," Inuyasha informed her, "Your uncle was blamed for the man's death."

"Uncle Dai?" Kagome gasped, "He's in jail because of me?"

"He's lucky he's not anywhere I can see him," he snapped, "And don't you dare feel bad about that. Damnit Kagome! It's all his fault! Everything you went through was because of his debt! Let the bastard pay for it!"

"I guess," she whispered uncertainly, "But he didn't do it."

Inuyasha growled, "He did a lot worse! He's the reason you were in so much crap in the first place! I can't believe you're actually..."

"I'm not defending him, he deserves some punishment," Kagome sighed and finally pulled back enough to look up at him. "But Shinji's death is still on my conscience, I killed him, I was the one covered in his blood. I still see him in my dreams, gurgling and coughing it up as he kneels over me."

Shaking his head, Inuyasha cupped her cheeks and wiped the twin drops that fell from her eyes, "You had to defend yourself, he was attacking you and you had to stop him. No one would blame you even if they found out the truth, the man was a bastard, he earned it."

"But I'm still guilty, how can I go see my family knowing..."

"They love you and they want to help you," he cut her off, "Kagome they had no idea, they're shocked and horrified yes, but not by you. They love you."

Tears filled her eyes again, "But they shouldn't."

"Don't be stupid!" Giving her a shake, Inuyasha cupped her chin and forced her gaze to meet his, "You were abused, beaten, pierced, and degraded, all for the sake of your family, and you don't think they should love you? How could anyone not? Can't you understand how- how amazed everyone is?"

"Amazed?"

"Yeah, amazed and... and shocked, and in awe."

"You're exaggerating," she said, fighting down a smile.

"No I'm not, we've all been wondering how you could do such things." Seeing the light in her eyes dim, he quickly explained. "Not because we think any less of you, no one in their right mind would do that, we're just shocked by how you... how anyone could be so selfless, so... so strong. You're such a happy, care-free girl, we knew you were tougher than you looked, but none of us imagined how much."

Kagome blinked back tears again and sniffled, "Stop Inuyasha, you..."

"No, I'm not done yet," Wiping the tears from her cheeks, he continued, trying to make her understand. "You say you feel dirty but you're not, you're not dirty, or worthless, or anything like that. You're..."

Biting his lip suddenly, struggling against the urge to say too much, he closed his eyes for a moment until she spoke again. "I'm... ?"

"You're beautiful," he whispered, opening his eyes to meet hers again, unable to stop himself now that he'd said it. "You might have a few bruises and cuts and scrapes, but each one only adds to that. After all, how many women would do what you did? How many women would have stayed on this quest? How many would have adopted a baby kitsune the way you did, or put up with a grouchy hanyou like me, or risked her life for someone else as much as you have?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Well I do, and the answer is not many, if any at all. That's what makes you so unique and special, and gorgeous, and its not only your looks, its much more than that... its... your heart."

With her chin wobbling, Kagome sniffled and stared into his eyes, seeing he truly meant it. With a shake of her head she tried to explain, "I don't feel beautiful, or strong, or any of that. I feel used and tired and scared."

"Scared of what?"

"I don't know, that my mom will die, that Souta and grandpa will leave, that everyone will see me and know everything that I did." Shuddering, she whimpered when he wrapped his arms around her and sat back, pulling her onto his lap carefully. "I'm afraid the nightmares won't stop, that I'll always feel them."

"Feh, they will," Inuyasha turned to lean against the wall and held her tight, "The nightmares _will_ stop, you won't feel them forever, and your family will always be there for you."

"I thought you hated me," Kagome whispered, completely throwing him off balance, "I was sure you'd hate me when you found out, and then they said you had me sealed away..."

"Hate you?"

Just the thought of it sent a chill through his body, making him instinctively pull her closer and bury his head in her hair. Feeling her tense, he lifted his lips to her ear, whispering hoarsely, "I could never _hate_ you."

Kagome held her breath and closed her eyes, "But you..."

"I had you sealed away for your own protection, I was so furious when I came back that... I knew I would lose it if I saw you any time soon. I was angry, I felt betrayed and hurt and... well damnit, I was jealous too."

Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back to see his, "Jealous?"

Shrugging, he kept his left arm around her waist while lifting the other to trace her cheek. "Here I was forcing myself to keep away from you, to keep you from defiling yourself with a worthless hanyou like me, and then I walk in to find you moaning beneath some total stranger on a table."

Quivering at the image, she leaned against him, burying her face into his neck, "I wish you hadn't been so thoughtful, that you'd been like this before."

"Not more than I do," he sighed, gently rubbing her back.

Kagome lifted her head again, "At least your first kiss was with someone you loved."

Remembering the kiss Kikyo had given him that time she'd tried to take him to hell, Inuyasha asked himself how true that statement was. He'd loved Kikyo years before, but now he felt more like he owed her peace, more than anything.

"An old man with a large belly took mine," Kagome nearly gagged, "He was drinking too."

(- "A girl's first kiss should be special, you know, held in the arms of the guy she loves. All sweet and romantic, out under the stars and moonlight." -)

When had she said that?

Oh right, about a few days before the whole ordeal began, while she was talking to Sango before going to sleep one night.

"I'm so sorry," Inuyasha whispered, hearing her take a deep breath and feeling her body relax into his. They sat quietly for a few minutes before he broke the peace, "Kagome, about going home..."

"I will," she agreed, "When my knee's better."

"I don't think we can wait." When her head lifted, he met her worried gaze and hesitated, "Your mom's worse."

"How much?" Kagome moved back a little, trying to read into his averted gaze, "Inuyasha how sick?"

"She's not going to last much longer," he answered "I don't know when, but I have the feeling it will be soon, very soon."

After a brief moment, biting her lip and registering that fact, she licked her lips and leaned into him again. "Come with me?"

"Of course, but are you ready for that? Do you think?" Waiting for her response, he gave her arm a squeeze when she nodded. "That's my Kagome."

Shifting his arms to support her knees and back, he was surprised when she lifted her arms around his neck and raised troubled yes to his, "I'm scared."

"I know, but they're your family Kagome," Inuyasha reminded her again, "They want to see you and make sure you're ok, your mother needs to see you again."

"I know, I need to see her too," resting her head on his shoulder, she yawned and tightened her hold on him. They were at the edge of the well when she spoke again, "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay... with me?"

"... always."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's ok, you can open your eyes now," Inuyasha whispered, entering her mother's room.

Asami woke from her feverish state and gave them a weak smile. Luckily Kagome's gasp was soft, but Inuyasha heard it and gave her back a comforting squeeze as he carried her over and set her on the bed next to her mother.

"My baby," Asami slipped her arms out of the blanket and held them out for her daughter, who quickly lay her head down and started crying again. "My precious Kagome."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry your treatments had to stop!" Kagome sobbed, neither of them noticing him slip out of the room to wait with the other guys outside.

Asami hugged her tight and rubbed her back in slow circles, "Don't fret over that, they weren't working."

"What?" Lifting her head, Kagome scanned her mother's features, inwardly wincing at how thin and flushed she was. "You said..."

"I didn't want to worry you," Asami wiped her daughter's cheek with a soft hand, "I knew I'd be coming home soon. I would have been here sooner but Dai kept making up excuses for not sending us the tickets."

"I'm sorry about him too," Kagome sniffled. "He didn't kill Shinji."

"I know, Inuyasha told me, and I can't imagine it. My little girl, you're not so little anymore, I realized it before but not fully until I'd heard the story... I'm so sorry." Pulling her down, Asami held tight. "You're such a brave child Kagome, even after your father died you were so mature."

"You've always taught me to look at the bright side, that's all I've ever tried to do... until recently." Kagome sniffled.

"Don't let this ruin your life, don't give them that victory." Asami kissed her forehead, "You have a boy who's been tearing himself apart from the guilt of not saving you, and who also loves you very much. Hold on to that, to him, and you'll be all right."

"Mama?"

"Inuyasha loves you Kagome, he's just too frightened to tell you, maybe even to tell himself, but he'll figure it out soon." Yawning, Asami nuzzled her hair, "And your family loves you, grandpa and Souta will always be there and we've found a way for you to keep up your trips to the past."

"How?" Kagome raised her eyes to her mom's.

"Mayumi-san's daughter is marrying so she needs a place to stay, she'll be renting our guest room and helping out around the house. I've already explained that you often go to your fiancee's house and stay for a few nights. She's very kind and sweet, and she's a hopeless romantic so she finds it romantic that he'll wait for you to be of age to be married."

Giggling, Kagome lay her head on her mother's chest, "I love you mom."

Fighting down tears, Asami sighed, "I love you too sweetheart."

A knock sounded on the door, Souta sticking his head in when they called enter, "Can I come in?"

"There's plenty of room," Asami patted the bed on her other side.

Climbing onto the covers, he lay his head next to Kagome's and silently set his hand over hers. Giving it a squeeze, she smiled and held it tight. They lay there in companionable silence for a while, Souta's eyes were drooping and Grandpa had joined them, sitting behind the boy, holding his daughter's hand when Inuyasha heard his name called. Asami waved him over and he hesitantly came around the bed, taking up a place behind Kagome, who pulled his arm around her and had him hold her close.

"That's better, now its all of us," Asami whispered, sniffing back tears and feeling her kids curl up closer to her, and even Inuyasha slowly slipped his hand over her arm and held tight. "Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the lullaby your father wrote you? At the beach house?"

Fighting back tears, Kagome nodded, dreading the question she knew would come next.

"Could you sing it for me? It's been a while since I heard it," Asami felt her daughter hold her breath for a second before agreeing.

"Okay," biting her lip and clearing her throat, Kagome slowly began to sing the sad melody.

-

_- Good night my angel time to close your eyes_

_- And save these questions for another day_

_- I think I know what you've been asking me_

_- I think you know what I've been trying to say_

_- I promised I would never leave you_

_- And you should always know_

_- Wherever you may go_

_- No matter where you are_

_- I never will be far away_

-

Souta held back sobs, his tears falling on his mother's blanket while his grandpa rubbed his back. Inuyasha tightened his hold on Kagome, who's voice cracked the tiniest bit when she started the next verse.

-

_- Good night my angel now it's time to sleep_

_- And still so many things I want to say_

_- Remember all the songs you sang for me_

_- When we went sailing on an emerald bay_

_- And like a boat out on the ocean_

_- I'm rocking you to sleep_

_- The water's dark and deep_

_- Inside this ancient heart_

_- You'll always be a part of me_

-

Kagome took a moment to catch her breath and blink back a few tears, smiling when her mom kissed the top of her head. The most difficult lines were coming up and she needed a moment to collect herself.

_-_

_- Good night my angel now it's time to dream_

_- And dream how wonderful your life will be_

_- Someday your child may cry_

_- And if you sing this lullaby_

_- Then in your heart_

_- There will always be a part of me_

-

Feeling her strength near its end, Asami sighed and gave a soft whisper that was heard throughout the room before falling asleep.

"I love you all"

Kagome heard Souta let out a sob and choked on her own. But she finished the song with a shaky voice, knowing her mother was probably not going to hear it, finishing anyways, the final lines speaking more for the rest of them now.

-

_- Someday we'll all be gone_

_- But lullabies go on and on_

_- They never die_

_- That's how you and I_

_- Will be..._

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-sniffle-


End file.
